The Senator's Dilemma
by elizabethday
Summary: Senator William Darcy is the youngest presidential candidate ever and he has everything going for him: the looks, the job, and the perfect family. Then his family is threatened, and despite his greatest efforts, his son is kidnapped. What will happen to his family and his candidacy? Will his family be restored? Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

Hello lovely readers! I've had this idea for a little bit, and quite frankly it's a little bit morbid, and I've finally written most of it! Yayyy! I have fifteen chapters written and would love to get them to you as quickly as possible, but there is a catch. I need a LOT of reviews before I will post the next chapters. So PLEASE review! Tell me what you really think: what you like, what you don't like, what I can fix-all of it. This first chapter just kind of gives you insight into their lives, so it's not really getting into the story yet, but please enjoy!

William Darcy walked into a light blue and yellow nursery to find his wife dozing in a white rocking chair, holding their son, Michael. The rocking chair that his own mother had used with him was in front of a large window and the moonlight shining through made a beautiful picture that he couldn't take his eyes from. The sight made his heart clench with overwhelming love and thankfulness for his family as he walked over to the pair and nudged his wife awake.

"Elizabeth, Darling, I think you might sleep better in our bed."

Elizabeth Darcy started awake. "Hmm...I have to finish with him, and then I need to double check your speech before I come to bed."

"Sweetheart, you need to sleep. We've been going nonstop for the last few weeks and you're fried. Besides, Alex has already gone over my speech and you don't need to do that. Why don't you give him to me and head on to bed?"

Elizabeth looked up through her thick eyelashes and smiled gratefully at her husband as she shifted the feeding baby in her arms and continued rocking.

"Thanks, but I've got him. I can sleep when the campaign is over, but you are the one that needs to sleep now. You won't have time when you're running the country."

William Darcy was the youngest presidential candidate in American history at age 35 and despite initial fears over his inexperience, the public appreciated his impeccable character and innovative ideas for bringing the country out of its current problems. It didn't hurt that he was the most attractive candidate America had ever seen and women gaped wherever he went. He was projected to win against the incumbent and a lot of the credit was due to Elizabeth. His wife had been a steadfast supporter as he continued on the grueling campaign trail. She went almost everywhere with him and helped him wherever necessary, in addition to her responsibilities to her family. He appreciated everything she was doing to help him achieve his dreams, but William could see that the stress was taking a toll on his young wife and he was beginning to worry about her health.

"Elizabeth. It wasn't a request," he said sternly, "You look dead on your feet. You have come with me to every speech, debate, and interview in the last three months and these last couple weeks have been the busiest. I can handle the pressure, but you are also taking care of our two boys, so I need you to rest. I can't have my lovely wife getting sick. Please. Go to bed. I'll join you in a few minutes," said William as he leaned in to kiss his wife and take the baby from her arms.

"Thank you," she whispered as she bent down to kiss her youngest on the forehead. Before getting ready for bed, she went into the next bedroom to check on their oldest son, Bennett. As she pulled up the blankets of his race car bed and softly kissed his cheek, he stirred awake.

"Mommy?"

"Yeah, Buddy?" she whispered.

"I love you."

She smiled. "I love you too, Benny. Now go to sleep. I'll see you when you wakeup."

She tiptoed out of the room and softly shut the door, thinking of how incredibly blessed she was to have three such precious men in her life.

As she was brushing her hair, she saw her wedding picture on the vanity and was hit with a wave of memories.

She thought of when she and her husband had met. She was a college student getting degrees in both Elementary Education and Political Science. The two were in no way connected, but she was interested in both subjects and loved to learn, so she worked like crazy as a waitress to pay for her extra classes. Her parents were able to provide for their family of five daughters, but they didn't have any extra money to pay for Elizabeth's two degrees. One April night, she and her older sister, Jane, took a break from studying and went to a dinner party at a friend's house. Two men were there that they had never seen before: Charles Bingley and William Darcy. Charles and Jane hit it off, and eventually married, but Darcy and Elizabeth seemed to despise each other. William was the youngest partner ever in his law firm, was running for election to the United States Senate, and had inherited a large amount of wealth from his father. He acted as if he were better than everyone else and Elizabeth thought him extremely pretentious and rude. William, on the other hand, found her very attractive and charming. He asked Elizabeth on a date but was shocked when she flatly refused. Many disagreements and misunderstandings later, Elizabeth understood his feelings for her and came to realize that she felt the same way about the newly elected senator. They married in a large church wedding five years ago. Elizabeth gave birth to their first son, Bennett David, four years ago, and their second son, Michael Andrew, nine months ago.

She smiled as she thought of her three favorite boys while she climbed under the sheets. Her tall, dark, and handsome husband was a perfect father to her smart and shy Bennett and her loud and stubborn Michael. The previous weekend, William had taken a two hour break from his strenuous schedule to go on a picnic with his family at the park by their hotel. She packed a picnic basket full of sandwiches and chips and fruit and spread out a blanket on the grass. After lunch, she rocked Michael to sleep while William and Bennett played catch. It was a wonderful couple hours, in spite of the media that was trying to catch a glimpse. These happy thoughts soothed Elizabeth into a deep sleep before her husband could join her.

William Darcy trudged into his bedroom around midnight, absolutely exhausted. Between his campaign, spending time with his family, and worrying about his wife's wellbeing, he felt like he could sleep for weeks. Despite his exhaustion, he couldn't help but pause at the sight of his sleeping wife.

Twenty-seven year old Lizzy was stunning, even as she slept. Her long, wavy, brown hair fanned gently from her head and her luscious pink lips were parted in her sleep. He was unable to keep himself from admiring the curves of Elizabeth's fit body that was covered only by one of his old Oxford t-shirts. He sure loved that body.

As he walked closer to the bed, he observed dark circles around her eyes and a hollowness to her cheeks. He couldn't help but worry that she was overtaxing herself. Elizabeth said that she wanted to do everything she could to help him win, and yet she was adamant that she be an involved mother. She hardly ever took the time to eat or sleep, and he had noticed that she had lost way too much weight. Darcy had done everything he could think of to persuade her to relax, but every time he thought he succeeded, he would walk into her library to find her writing letters or calling his supporters.

Being in the spotlight had been very difficult for her. Darcy was used to the spotlight. He grew up in a prominent family known around the country for their business ventures. She, on the other hand, had never had to deal with the spotlight as her parents were elementary teachers. Now that William was running for president, the media was ever present. They loved following, or harassing depending on how one looked at it, the Darcy family. The media adored Elizabeth in particular. Her beauty, fashion sense, activeness in the community, intelligence, and involvement with her family caused them to compare her to Jacqueline Kennedy or Kate Middleton. As a result, she was constantly pressured to be at her best, which would be draining for anyone.

As he climbed into his large, creme bed, he felt his wife shift. He turned towards her to find vibrant, green eyes peering at him.

"Did he go down okay?" she asked groggily.

"Yes, Darling. Go back to sleep," he whispered as he kissed her. "I love you."

She smiled dreamily. "Love you too. Goodnight."

REVIEW, REVIEW, REVEIW!


	2. Chapter 2

To the 6 of you that reviewed, THANK YOU. It really makes me want to keep writing when I get such encouraging remarks. This next chapter is just fluff again, nothing too serious, but I hope you enjoy it and review it for me.

The next morning Darcy awoke early and went on a jog. It was one of the best parts of his day. When he was in Mississippi, the five mile trail that he ran through his five hundred acre estate was his thirty minutes of peace and quiet. It gave him a chance to clear his thoughts of everything surrounding him. Because they were currently at the townhouse in Washington D.C., however, running was an obligation that he conceded to surrounded by security guards.

He returned to the house and quickly showered before heading to the kitchen. Most mornings were spent in conferences, but Monday mornings were dedicated to family breakfast. He walked in to find that Elizabeth was busy cooking and she didn't notice him, so he used the time to watch his family. Michael was in his high chair, banging on the top, screaming for his food. Bennett was sitting quietly at the table coloring as he waited patiently for his mom to give him his breakfast.

Bennett, or Ben, was a handsome boy. He looked just like his father, with a long, muscular frame and thick, black, curly hair. The only part of his mom in him were his shocking green eyes. Not only did he look just like his dad, he had his dad's easygoing and quiet temper. Some would call it shy. Michael, young though he was, was already acting more like his mom. He was very loud and dearly loved to laugh. Unlike his brother, he was a mixture of both parents, with William's sharp facial features and Elizabeth's coloring.

Elizabeth was standing at the sink, cutting strawberries and humming softly to herself and William couldn't resist. He walked up and put his arms around her small waist.

"Good morning," he whispered sensuously into her ear.

She jumped, dropping the knife, and turned quickly.

"Gah! Will, you scared me!" she squealed as she hit him lightly on his muscled chest.

Ben giggled as Darcy smiled and kissed his wife deeply.

"Will you forgive me?" he asked jokingly.

"No. Now go sit. Breakfast is almost ready."

"Hey, Buddy, how did you sleep?" he asked his son as he kissed the top of his head and sat down at the table.

"Morning, Daddy. I sleeped good, except Michael waked me up. Can we play catch today?" asked Bennett hopefully.

"I'm afraid not, Sport. Dad has a lot of work today and you and Brother are going to stay with Aunt Jane. Maybe we'll play catch tomorrow. Is that okay?"

He hated the way his son's face fell at his negative answer, but was satisfied by his smile when he was told he was going to the Bingley house.

"Yeah!" Ben replied. "I can play with Catherine and Jacob!"

Catherine and Jacob were Jane and Charles' five year old twins. Even though there was a slight difference in age, the four cousins were very close and spent a lot of time together. Charles was one of William's advisors, so while the two of them and Elizabeth were campaigning, Jane took care of the kids. Elizabeth was adamant that her sons would not have a nanny and this was a good alternative.

Michael was getting louder, so Darcy decided it was time to intervene. He picked him up out of his high chair and kissed him noisily on the cheek.

"Whoa there, Little Man! What is up with you this morning? Mommy can't feed you if you're going to be so grumpy."

"That's right, mister. So you need to lighten up," joked Elizabeth as she plopped a plate of eggs and toast in front of her husband and older son. Then she returned her youngest to the high chair and began to feed him oatmeal.

"Elizabeth, are you not eating?" asked Darcy. She hadn't brought her own plate to the table.

"I'm not hungry," she responded tersely.

"You have to eat," he answered, surprised at her attitude. "You need your energy. We have a big day ahead of us."

"I told you, I am not hungry. Don't worry about me."

William opened his mouth to argue when his two best friends and advisors, Richard Fitzwilliam and Charles Bingley, walked into the room.

"Good morning! Good morning!" said an overly-peppy Charles. "It's a big day! Are you ready?"

Darcy gave his wife a look that told her they were going to talk later before answering.

"Morning Bingley, Richard. We are nowhere near ready. Last I checked, it's Monday and you aren't supposed to be here. We aren't needed at the offices until eleven."

"Well, some things have come up, Darcy," answered Richard with a strange look. "We need you to be there as soon as you can."

Elizabeth spoke up. "What happened?"

"Nothing for you to be concerned about, Lizzy. But we need to discuss it."

"I'll run upstairs right now and finish getting ready."

"No!" said Charles forcefully.

"I'm sorry?" she retorted sassily.

"What Charles means is," chipped in Richard, "that it would be best if you would get the boys dressed and take your time getting ready before dropping them off at the Bingley's. Enjoy a peaceful morning. We can take care of any problems."

Darcy's eyebrows shot up in shock as his wife walked up the stairs without arguing. Normally she would have argued until she got her way, and it concerned him that she gave up without a fight.

She was really aggravated, but she dressed the boys in matching orange polos and khaki pants and left them to entertain themselves in the play room as she got herself ready. Elizabeth had just finished with the boys when she had to sprint to the bathroom. Darcy found her there throwing up five minutes later.

"Oh, Sweetheart," he murmured as he moved to hold her hair back. "Can I get anything for you?"

Finally, when she was done ridding her stomach of its few contents, she felt able to answer.

"I must have eaten something bad last night. I'm fine now, though, and I'm going to finish getting ready."

"Nope. You are staying home today. We can make it one day without you."

"No," she stated resolutely. "I am fine. You go on to the office and I will meet you there in an hour or so."

"Elizabeth Darcy, I am serious. You are exhausted and sick and you need a break. Please!"

Elizabeth pressed her lips together angrily and turned away from her husband to begin putting on her makeup. Darcy sighed and began dressing himself in a blue button down shirt and plaid tie with khaki slacks.

"What is urgent enough for Richard and Charles to come here so early? It must be a big deal for them to interrupt our breakfast," she asked in an effort to change the subject.

Her husband acted like he was too consumed with tying his tie to hear her.

"William!"

He looked up. "It's nothing. Just some points we forgot to clarify before the debate tonight."

Elizabeth looked appeased, but in reality it wasn't so simple. Richard and Charles had mentioned some security issues, but they refused to clarify until he was at headquarters. Darcy was worried, but at the moment he was more concerned and frustrated with his stubborn wife.

Elizabeth stood up and helped her husband with his tie.

"William, I appreciate your concern for my health, and I love that you protect me. But you have to realize that I know my body better than you do. If I say that I feel good, then you have to believe me and let me do my job. Can you do that, please?"

"I just hate the thought of you feeling bad," he said as he hugged her tightly.

"I know. Now, you head on out and I will meet you there after I take the kids to Jane's."

William kissed her one last time before making his way downstairs to get into a waiting town car with his two most trusted advisors.

Elizabeth sighed in relief as he left the room. The truth was that she didn't feel well at all, but she wasn't willing to miss such a big day in her husband's campaign. She was weak and nauseous and had a splitting headache, but she needed to make it through the next couple days before she would allow herself to relax.

She finished curling her hair and dressed herself in a white blouse and knee-length, black pencil skirt before putting pearls around her neck and pearl earrings in her ears. She completed the outfit with black patent leather pumps and her stunning, diamond wedding ring before going to her sons. She found them in the playroom where she'd left them. Ben was playing blocks with a squealing Michael.

"Boys, are you ready to go play with Catherine and Jacob?"

"Yeah!" yelled the two year old. Michael just squealed again.

She picked up the baby and grabbed Ben by the hand as the trio made their way downstairs to a waiting suburban and a couple of agents. Elizabeth hated having to be constantly surrounded by the men, but she knew it came with the lifestyle. On the plus side, the men were great with her sons.

"Hey there, Ben! How's it goin' Big Guy?" asked a large black agent, called Cantor.

Ben jumped to give him a high five.

"Good! We're going to Aunt Jane's house! Can you come too?"

Cantor laughed a big booming laugh. "I'd love to, Big Guy, but I have to stay with your mom. I think Jameson is going to stay with you," he said, nodding toward a big, angry looking agent.

Ben pouted, but said nothing at the thought of being watched by such a scary looking man. Elizabeth gave him a sympathetic smile as she buckled him into his car seat. She then climbed into the passenger seat of the suburban and one of the agents drove off with another car full of agents behind them.

Ten minutes later, they pulled up in front of the Bingley's townhouse. They also had an estate in Mississippi close to the Darcy's, but they too owned a house in Washington D.C. Jane didn't particularly like living in the city, but she did like to be close to her sister and her family.

"Lizzy! How have you been?" asked Jane as her sister and nephews walked into her entryway, followed by two secret service agents.

"Jane, I've been good. How have you been?" Elizabeth moved to hug her sister before hugging her niece and nephew.

"We're good! We're just excited to hang out with Michael and Ben. I know you need to go, but I have to tell you about the cutest thing Catherine did the other day," started Jane, and the sisters were caught up in conversation for another hour.


	3. Chapter 3

In the meantime, Darcy, Charles, and Richard reached the campaign headquarters and were met by William's three other advisors. William was anxious over the security issues and cut right to the chase as he sat down at the head of the conference table.

"Okay, boys, what's the deal? You took me from my family, so it had better be good."

"Well, we've received a threat," started Richard.

"That's why you took me from my family on a Monday morning?" he asked, extremely annoyed. "We receive threats on a daily basis."

"This one is different," began Charles.

"Different, how?"

Richard wordlessly handed him a letter that William scanned over quickly. His facial expression went from neutral to murderous as he read over it a second time.

"You have to understand that we have great security around you. There's really no reason-" attempted an advisor, Alex.

"Alex. Do not talk," he commanded as he tried to gain control over his emotions.

His five advisors were silent as they watched him pace. He finally stopped and read it again out loud:

"Mr. Darcy,

You have failed to acquiesce to our demands, and so it seems that more drastic action is necessary. We have come to the conclusion that only one thing will make you forfeit your campaign for the President of the United States. If you refuse our demands, then unfortunately we will be required to use your family against you. We will

take your children and your wife, doing things you couldn't even fathom, and you will

never see them again. Consider your response carefully, as this is not an idle threat.

The AntiCapitalists"

William was glaring at the page, but said nothing in addition.

"Senator Darcy, it's probably just a prank-" started Alex.

"What are we doing to protect them? And find these-these terrorists ?" William cut him off.

"We have doubled security around Elizabeth and your sons, as well as enhancing security at the debate tonight. We have contacted law enforcement and they have their best people working on it."

"Nothing, and I mean nothing can happen to them," he growled.

"Will, none of us will let anything happen to Elizabeth and the boys. Every law enforcement agency is working hard to protect the future President of the United States and they will catch these guys. In the meantime, we will have someone with them at all times. If you'd prefer we can send them back to Mississippi. They might be safer there. One thing is for sure, though, you will not suspend the campaign. You have come too far in achieving your dreams and no communistic terrorist group is going to keep you from that."

"Okay. Charles, call Cantor right now and find out where my wife and kids are. Richard, call the FBI and find out if they have made any progress in finding this guy. Alex, get me a coffee. The rest of you, get back to work."

As his staff moved to work on their assigned tasks, Darcy continued pacing and with his hands clasped tightly behind his back. He wanted so badly to send his family home to Mississippi, but he knew it would take the Apocalypse to get Elizabeth to leave his side. He didn't know what to do. He trusted his security staff, but he knew that there were holes in every protection detail. William wanted to do something, but felt helpless.

He wanted to suspend his campaign more than anything, if only to protect his family, as was his instinct. It had been his dream since he was a boy, though, to become the President of the United States and the thought of forgetting that dream was terrible. The thought of losing any member of his family, however, was paralyzing.

Charles found William still pacing ten minutes later.

"I talked to Cantor. He said they were still at my house, apparently Jane and Elizabeth got caught up talking. They'll probably be at it for another three hours, knowing them," he said, trying to get a smile from his best friend. William was too distracted, however, to notice that he had entered the room.

"Darcy! Look at me," demanded Charles. Surprised, William looked up. "I understand. You're worried-"

"Worried!" cut off William. "Worried? The lives of my wife and children have been threatened. You don't understand that at all!"

"You're right. I don't understand. But you have to understand that we are doing every single thing we can to protect them. Ben and Michael will have four agents between the two of them at all times and Elizabeth will have three of her own. We will know where they are every minute of the day. They are as safe as possible. You have to trust us and let the agents do their job. And you have to do yours. We are leaving in half an hour for your speech in Virginia and you need to focus. Can you do that?"

"Of course," he replied brusquely. "Please grab my notes for me, if you don't mind. I need to go over them. And what time do we need to be at the debate?"

Elizabeth, in the meantime, finally left Jane's house and she and her security made their way to headquarters. She had to meet with the campaign team and her assistants before going to read at the local elementary school. She had been an elementary school teacher until Bennett was born and loved it. Her platform, if she was to become the First Lady, mainly focused on improving the education system and she loved spending time with the kids.

She walked through the doors of the offices and was instantly greeted by a group of assistants reminding her of what was required of her.

"Mrs. Darcy!" called an intern, "you have to be at Highland Elementary in two hours. Remember that you're job is to act concerned for the kids' futures-"

"Mr. Barnett, surely I do not need to act concerned for the children's futures," snapped Elizabeth.

"Of-of course not, Mrs. Darcy. I'm so sorry," he stammered.

"Where is Mr. Darcy?"

"The Senator is in the conference room, Mrs. Darcy. And here is your coffee," said her favorite assistant as she handed her a light mocha latte.

"Thank you, AnnaBeth. Please call Mrs. Hardell and tell her that I can't make it to lunch next week. Jane has a doctor's appointment, so I will be keeping all four kids."

"Mrs. Darcy, we can call a babysitter. I think it would be best if you went to this lunch. She's one of our biggest supporters."

"No. I can take three hours out of my day to take care of my niece and nephew. Mrs. Hardell appreciates my dedication to my family and will understand when you tell her that we have to reschedule. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go see my husband."

She effectively dismissed her staff as she walked to the conference room. She found him pacing with a scowl on his face. She walked up to him and put her hand on his arm.

"Will? What's wrong? Aren't you supposed to be meeting with Mr. Pindell about finances?"

"Elizabeth," he breathed in relief, "I'm so glad you're here." He hugged her tightly.

She laughed. "Will, you haven't seen me in what, two hours?"

"I-I just missed you. Are the boys okay?"

"I missed you too. Of course they're okay. Why wouldn't they be?" she asked, confused.

"I was just curious. How is Jane?"

"William, you seem distracted. Tell me what's wrong. You know better than to keep anything from me. What was the urgent business Richard and Charles had to talk to you about?"

William looked hard at his wife, trying to decide how much needed to be divulged. She looked better than she did this morning, but he could see that her mental fortitude was wearing. Just two nights ago she had burst into tears because she lost an earring and he was worried that a bigger problem would send her into hysterics. Despite his fears, he learned early on in their marriage that it was best to tell her the truth and then take care of her if it became too much. She had an uncanny ability to sniff out the truth.

"Sweetheart, we received a letter last night."

"Really, about what?" she asked as he led her to a chair.

"It was a threat."

"What else is new? Who was it this time?" she asked, surprisingly calm.

"Well, actually, Sweetheart, I wasn't threatened. Well I was, indirectly, but that's not the point," he stammered. "You were threatened. And the boys."

Her eyes flashed as the angry Momma Bear in her came out. "How dare they! It's one thing to threaten the candidate but to threaten his family! What cowards! What did they say?"

He read her the letter and he watched the blood leave her face as her breathing became rapid. "Elizabeth, it's probably nothing to worry about, and just an empty threat, but we will be extra careful."

It didn't work and he was overcome with the need to comfort his wife. He walked over to her and pressed her hard against his chest.

"Elizabeth, we have taken every precaution. You and the boys will be safe. We've doubled your protection detail and will be aware of your whereabouts at all times. I would never let anything happen to you."

By this time, Elizabeth was hyperventilating. Prior to giving birth, she was a very strong woman and nothing scared her. Now that she was a mother, she was an even stronger woman than before in most ways, but she was easily frightened of anything that could harm her sons.

"Lizzy. Calm down. Breath deeply," instructed a concerned Darcy as he stroked her hair gently.

"I'm-I'm sorry," she gasped, "I'm okay. I'm okay."

"Elizabeth, I think maybe you should go see a doc-"

"William Darcy, I will not see a doctor. I want my children with me right now," she snapped.

"Charles, please call Jameson and have him bring Michael and Bennett here as soon as possible," called the Senator.

"William, I need them to be with me at all times until law enforcement is able to round these guys up."

"That's unreasonable. The boys can't go everywhere with us, they'd be bored out of their minds. And I'm pretty sure they'd drive you crazy after awhile."

She smiled at that.

"I suppose you're right and we just have to trust the Lord and the security agents that they will be safe. I would prefer that Cantor be with them, rather than with me, though. I trust him with my life and I'd rather he protect my babies."

"Okay. Now are you better?"

Elizabeth nodded.

"Then we need to get going! Mr. Pindell is waiting for me and you have some reading to do!"

So what do you think? It's starting to pick up a bit...


	4. Chapter 4

The Darcy's were caught up in a whirlwind the rest of the day. Elizabeth spent a couple hours at the elementary school and William was in meetings before they met back up at their house to change into their clothes for the debate.

"Hello, Mr. Darcy," said Elizabeth seductively as William walked in the bathroom to find her in her black, lacy, bra and panties, and putting her makeup on.

"Mmmm, hello there, Mrs. Darcy," he said as he snuck his hands around her waist and kissed her. "How was the rest of your day?"

"Not nearly as wonderful as the last thirty seconds have been," she murmured against his lips.

Her husband then lifted her in his arms and carried her to their bed.

"Darling, you know I love you," she whispered, "but we have a somewhere to be."

William sighed as he got up from on top of her. "You're right, as always. But I can assure you, Elizabeth Darcy, that we will be finishing this later tonight."

She smiled and winked, "If we must."

William kissed her one more time before making his way to the closet. When he exited, he found his wife dressed in a red with a v-neck and pleated skirt, putting on nude heels. Her hair was a beautiful mass of brown curls and she had the string of diamonds around her neck that he had given her for her 25th birthday.

"Sweetheart, you look stunning. Like you just got out of the 50s," he breathed.

"Thank you," she smiled, "and you look incredibly handsome in your black suit and red tie. The flag pin is the perfect touch," she added as she pinned it to his lapel.

"Thank ya, ma'am," he drawled, "now I am afraid that we have to leave for the debate. Richard and Charles are downstairs."

While William was conferring with his advisors, Elizabeth made sure that Bennett and Michael were settled with the babysitter. Elizabeth hated hiring babysitters, but when she had to she made sure to get the boys' favorite: Wendy Hall.

"Wendy, they're all bathed and fed, so all you will need to do is brush their teeth before putting them in bed. Bedtime is seven for Michael and seven thirty for Bennett," she kissed both boys on the head as she gave instructions. "You guys have fun! It'll probably be really late, Wendy, but I'll call you when we leave the auditorium."

She started to go downstairs, but stopped abruptly and pulled Wendy aside. "Wendy, I'm afraid that there are going to be two more agents with you guys tonight. There have been some security issues, but you will be perfectly safe. I just wanted to let you know so that you wouldn't be freaked out."

"That's fine, Mrs. Darcy. Thanks for letting me know."

She nodded and joined her husband in the waiting limo that was driving them across town to the debate. They were silent as William went over his notes and Elizabeth prayed silently. She was always twice as nervous as her husband at these events.

Before she knew it, they were pulling up to the venue. The door was opened by an agent and she was momentarily struck blind by the photographers. She felt her husband help her out of the car, and she arranged her face into a beautiful smile.

The couple smile and waved, all the while walking and answering a few questions.

"Mrs. Darcy!" called a reporter, "who are you wearing?"

Elizabeth laughed and pointedly ignored the question, "Why is it that everyone loves that question?" She didn't believe in focusing on designer brands, although she did wear them sometimes.

"Senator Darcy!" called another, "what do you think of President Rowning's foreign policy in the Middle East?"

"I'm afraid you gentleman will have to wait for the debate," answered a genial Senator.

The reporters cried out good-naturedly as the couple was ushered inside. Suddenly, Elizabeth stopped and grabbed hold of his arm.

"Elizabeth," whispered Darcy in her ear, "is everything okay?"

"Yeah, sorry. I just got dizzy there for a second."

His brow furrowed in concern. "Do you need to go back home? I can have Irvin take you."

"No, no. Let's just get inside. You have work to do."

Her husband sighed, but figured he had lost too many arguments that day, so he didn't even try.

Elizabeth sat down in the front row of the audience, surrounded by her husband's entourage, while William went backstage. In no time at all, the debate had begun.

Darcy walked onstage, waving and smiling as he moved to shake President Rowning's hand. They exchanged a few words before moving behind their separate podiums.

"President Rowning, you are first," started the mediator, "What do you intend to do about the economic downturn that our country is currently facing? Why do you think the country is in a recession to begin with?"

As the President struggled to answer the question cohesively, Darcy did his best to focus on what he was saying, but found himself staring at his wife, sitting in the front row. She smiled and nodded towards the President, encouraging him and signaling him to pay attention. Reluctantly, he turned toward his opposition and was soon engrossed in answering his own questions.

"Senator Darcy, please explain why you think the economy is struggling and what you will do about it if you are elected to office."

"Well, you have to understand that I believe there is an economic cycle, to some degree, that causes the stock Richardet highs and lows. This recession is one of these lows, however, we wouldn't be struggling so much if the government would stop unnecessary spending. If I were elected..."

Elizabeth was enraptured by her husband's eloquent speaking, but soon found herself hot and dizzy.

"Elizabeth," whispered Charles, "you look pale. Aren't you feeling well?"

"Of course," she whispered in return as she drew her hand across her forehead.

"If you insist. He looks good up there."

"Doesn't he? I can't imagine that the election will be close."

"I bet it's closer than-"

"Shhh," shushed Richard, "he's up again and the question should be about abortion. Always a touchy issue."

Elizabeth grinned at her brother-in-law before turning her attention to her husband. Two hours later, the candidates were shaking hands and it was time for their spouses to join them onstage. The cameras followed Elizabeth the entire time, as she was much more attractive than First Lady Rowning. She walked gracefully to her husband's side as she waved to the audience in the auditorium and behind the television camera.

"You were wonderful," she whispered proudly in her husband's ear as they stood together onstage. Suddenly, she grew dizzy and everything went black.

It's a little bit shorter this time, but I would still love it if I could get some reviews. Please and thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

Darcy was holding his wife's hand, both waving at the crowd, when he felt her stiffen. He turned in curiosity and watched as the blood drained from her face and her eyes closed. He had barely enough time to react and he stuck his arms out to catch her.

The crowd gasped and the security agents rushed up onstage as he gently laid her out on the ground. The agents quickly surrounded them, talking on their radios to each other and calling an ambulance.

"Elizabeth!" Will was frantic.

"Senator, we need you to get into the car. This could be a security issue and we can't take the chance," started Irvin.

"No."

"But sir-"

"I said no. I'm not leaving her. Where is the ambulance?"

"Will," began Charles, "you need to go with them. I'll stay with Eliza-"

"What part of 'no' do you not understand?" he snapped. "Why isn't she waking up? Elizabeth, sweetheart, please wake up."

As he stroked her hair, her eyelids began flickering.

"Lizzy, Darling. You're okay. Wake up," he begged.

Slowly, she began to open her eyes.

"Oh, thank goodness. Elizabeth, how are you feeling?"

"My head hurts," she groaned.

"Sir, the EMTs are here. They need to put her on the gurney, if you could move out of the way."

Elizabeth's eyes widened as she took in her surroundings.

"Please, don't make me go to the hospital," she begged.

"Mrs. Darcy, it's not an option. You fainted and you must go to the hospital," stated the EMT.

She began to try to get to her feet, but was gently pushed back down by her husband. "Elizabeth, let them do their job."

Tears of embarrassment sprang to her eyes as they slid the gurney underneath her and rolled her out to the ambulance. Luckily, Richard had the foresight to not allow reporters anywhere near the ambulance. Elizabeth didn't have to worry about those pictures showing up in the tabloids, but she was still furious at the situation.

Despite protests from his staff and security, Darcy climbed into the back of the ambulance to be with his wife and on the way to the hospital, he found himself answering a stream of questions.

"How long was I out?"

"Maybe two minutes."

"Did I really faint onstage?"

"I'm afraid so."

"But you caught me before I hit the ground?"

"Yes."

"My skirt didn't fly up, did it?"

"I don't believe so."

"Why are we going to the hospital, again?"

"To find out why you fainted."

She groaned. "What are they going to think of me?"

"Elizabeth, they will think that you fainted because you haven't been feeling well, which is true. Don't stress out about it."

"But I don't do stuff like that! I'm a strong woman and now they're going to think I'm weak and can't take care of myself."

"No one will think you're weak," he said tiredly.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked abruptly.

"Nothing."

"You're being short with me. What is the problem?"

"You scared me, and I'm worried about you."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes in annoyance, but was unable to say anything else as the ambulance pulled up to the doors of the hospitals. Doctors rushed out and quickly took hold of her gurney, while Darcy was ushered into a waiting room where he was surrounded by his staff who were trying to alleviate any problems being caused by the press.

An hour later, William was led back into a hospital room where he found his wife sitting up in the bed clicking angrily at the television remote.

"You know, normal people would have gone home and rested if they passed out. Not me. Oooh no. I have to be brought to the hospital in an ambulance where the best specialists in the tri-state area run a bunch of useless tests that have nothing to do with their specialties. This is ridiculous! You do realize that, don't you?"

"Well, excuse me for wanting to make sure you're healthy," he said, very annoyed. "I could be resting at home, but I happen to love my wife and want to be positive that she doesn't have a brain tumor or something!"

"Then why don't you just go home and sleep?" she snapped, "It's not like I need you here, since I'm surrounded by all these Secret Service agents and all."

"Are you beginning to resent this lifestyle?" asked a surprised Darcy. "If you are then I need to know."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to answer when a headline flashed up on the TV, demanding both of their attentions.

"Breaking News: Senator Darcy's wife faints onstage. What is wrong with the possible future First Lady? New information at 10." The headline was accompanied by the video footage of William catching Elizabeth and laying her gingerly on the floor.

"Well, that's wonderful. Just wonderful," she moaned.

At that moment Elizabeth's doctor, Dr. Young, entered the room. "Senator. Mrs. Darcy," he greeted them and shook their hands, "Mrs. Darcy, how are you feeling?"

"Annoyed," she grumbled.

Dr. Young gave her a slight smile. "I assumed as much. But how are you feeling _physically_?

"Oh. Fine, just fine. I must have just forgotten to eat dinner or something."

"Elizabeth, why don't we let the doctor tell us what the problem is," Darcy interjected sarcastically. "Dr. Young, did you find anything wrong?"

"No, nothing wrong, necessarily," he began, "but we did find something."

"What?" asked the husband and wife simultaneously.

"Well, Mrs. Darcy, it looks like you're pregnant."

Both husband and wife were struck dumb with the news, but as it began to sink in a grin slowly spread across William's face as tears of joy filled Elizabeth's eyes.

"I'm-I'm p-pregnant?" she stammered.

"Yes, ma'am. Congratulations. It looks as if you will have a new addition to your family in June."

Elizabeth was speechless, leaving it up to William to ask the questions.

"So this explains the nausea, the dizziness, and the fainting tonight?"

"Yes, Mr. Darcy. It explains all of it. Now, if you will excuse me, I will leave the two of you alone."

William's face was radiant as he bent down to kiss his wife. "Elizabeth, we are going to have another baby!"

The reality of the situation had finally set in and Elizabeth's face was covered with tears.

"Sweetheart, why are you crying?" he asked as he wiped away the tears.

"I'm just-I'm just so happy!" she cried, throwing her arms around her husband. "We're going to have a baby!"

"Yes, we are," he whispered, temporarily forgetting the chaos of the life his family lived.

"Let's go home," she whispered back.

After a few more moments of joyful bliss, Elizabeth quickly dressed herself back into her dress and fixed her hair while William signed her release papers. As she was running a brush through her chestnut curls, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she called, "Oh, hi, Richard. Is Will almost finished?"

Richard nodded as he strode over to the her. "William told me," he began as he gingerly hugged her, "Congratulations."

Elizabeth laughed. "Thank you, Richard. Are we ready to leave?"

"Almost. Unfortunately, you and your husband are going to have to speak to the press."

"The press? Isn't it a little late for that? It's almost one in the morning. We need to get home to the boys."

"Lizzy, you passed out on national television," Richard said condescendingly, "everyone is worried about your wellbeing and you and William need to quell any rumors."

Elizabeth sighed. "I understand. So does this mean we have to tell the country about the baby?"

"That's up to you, Sweetheart, if you want to keep it a secret from the public," said William as he walked into the conversation. "We can tell them it was low blood sugar or we can tell them the truth. We won't pressure you in any way."

"I suggest you tell the truth-" began Richard, but he was stopped when William cleared his throat authoritatively.

Elizabeth sighed yet again. "No, Richard, you're right. I guess we'll just have to apologize to our family for not telling them first."

"Well, actually, Elizabeth, our family already knows. I got tons of panicked phone calls after they saw us on television. Your parents and your sisters all know, as does Georgiana. I knew you would want to tell them, but I figured they didn't need to worry."

She kissed him sweetly. "No, Babe. That's great. Now, Richard, what exactly are we to say?"

They talked for a few more minutes before walking outside surrounded by their entourage. As they made their way to the waiting limos, they were forced to a stop by the mass of reporters.

"Senator Darcy! Is it true that Mrs. Darcy was poisoned?" called one reporter.

"Mrs. Darcy, how are you feeling?" yelled another.

"Senator, were you ever worried that your wife wouldn't wake up?"

"What caused the faint, Mrs. Darcy?"

"Is it true that this was caused by your anorexia, Mrs. Darcy?"

At the last question William's eyes flashed in fury. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he began, "if you would be so kind as to wait until we give our statement before you ask questions or make assumptions, we would really appreciate it."

He and Elizabeth stood on the front steps of the hospital, waiting for the press to quiet themselves, before he began to speak again.

"As you know, we had a little bit of a mishap this evening." The press laughed at the understatement and his impish grin. "We rushed Mrs. Darcy to the hospital and they ran a series of tests and it turns out that everything is fine."

"Then what is wrong with your wife, Senator?" questioned another reporter.

"Well, ladies and gentleman, it turns out that Mrs. Darcy is pregnant with our third child," he declared with a large smile on his face.

The shocked reporters stood silently for a moment, wondering how to react, before they broke out into applause. Elizabeth blushed profusely at the congratulations as William proudly slipped an arm around her waist and hugged her to his side.

"Mrs. Darcy!" called a reporter, "When are you due?"

"We will expect the baby at the beginning of June."

"Have you told your parents yet?" asked another.

"Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, Mr. Darcy had to call them and tell them the news, rather than tell them in person, but yes. The whole family knows."

"How did your sons react to the news?"

"I'm afraid I just misspoke. The whole family, minus the two most important ones, know about the baby. We will tell Bennett and Michael soon, I'm sure."

"What's it like to know that there is a good possibility your baby will be the first ever born in the White House?"

"Well, first of all, William has to get elected, and second of all, I can assure you that the baby wouldn't be born _in _the White House." The crowd laughed at her sarcasm.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy need to get home," commanded Richard as he and the Secret Service agents steered them to the cars waiting to take them home where they would express their love for each other all night long.

**Thank you guys for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**More fluff! But we're getting to the good stuff, I promise!** **Enjoy!**

Elizabeth woke up to her husband staring at her and lovingly stroking her hair.

"Good morning."

"Good morning," he whispered as he kissed her. "You look radiant this morning."

"It might have something to do with you," she smiled suggestively, "and our night last night."

"Or perhaps it's that you are carrying another son or a daughter," he said, kissing her tummy.

Elizabeth laughed. "That could be part of it. We need to tell the boys this morning."

Suddenly Darcy turned serious. "First, I want to discuss something with you."

Elizabeth looked at him quizzically.

"I think you and the boys should go to Pemberley for a month or so."

He saw the flash of anger in her eyes, but refused to back down.

"Elizabeth, please understand that I want you here, but I think it would be wise for you to take a few weeks and relax. I'm worried that you're straining yourself and that it won't be good for the baby."

"The baby and I are fine, William, and you know that. We've been through two pregnancies already and you know perfectly well that it takes a heck of a lot more than a little stress to hurt a baby. Besides, I don't need rest. I need to be by your side."

"Don't fight me on this. I have to insist that you go home for a while," he said forcefully.

Elizabeth looked at him, extremely annoyed, somewhat angry, and slightly curious.

"Will, why are you so adamant that we go? Honestly."

He sighed and was quiet for a few moments before finally answering.

"I know that we don't put much stock in the threats against me, but any threats against you and the boys are to be taken seriously, especially now that you're carrying yet another child. I know you want to stay and work with me, and I want you here, but you have to understand that I will do _anything_ to protect you and the boys. And I think you will be much safer at Pemberley than galavanting all over the country with me."

Elizabeth's expression softened as she recognized the fear behind the eyes of her strong husband.

"I get it. I worry for our boys too, and for you, however, I truly believe that we need to be here. Don't you think we would be safer wherever you are, together as a family?"

"No. That is what they would expect. You will be safer at home."

"Okay," she sighed.

William blinked. "Okay? Just like that?"

"I get where you're coming from. I just have two requests, well, demands, to be precise."

Her husband rolled his eyes. "Demands, you say?"

"If we are going home to be safer, then the number of Secret Service agents need to be cut in half."

"But Elizabeth, that only puts you at three agents. I have to refuse on that point."

"Then we're staying right here."

"That makes no sense!" he nearly yelled. He was truly exasperated with his ridiculously stubborn wife. "Why would I take away security when I'm sending you away to protect you?"

"You said it yourself that, whoever these people are, they wouldn't expect us to go home to Pemberley, so why would we need more protection? Will, I am so sick and tired of never having time alone. Do you know how hard that is for me?"

William felt as if he'd just been punched in the stomach as his wife's eyes filled with tears as if grieving the loss of her freedom. He couldn't look at her, so he rose from the bed and stood rigidly at the window.

"I thought this was what you wanted, Elizabeth."

"I want you to fulfill your dreams, Will."

He turned and walked towards her, his eyes full of both love and exasperation.

"Elizabeth, my dreams are fulfilled. I have you. And Bennett and Michael and our new baby. I don't need anything else. I can suspend my campaign today if you're not happy."

Elizabeth rose from her spot on the bed and wrapped her arms around her strong husband.

"Sweetheart, I _am_ happy. We have our family, and you are going to live out your dream of being the President of the United States. It will be hard, and I realize that, and it doesn't make it any easier that my hormones are all out of whack," she glared at him as he smirked at that statement, "but I am completely prepared for this. And you know why? Because I know that you will be the most incredible leader this country has ever seen and this is our chance to make a difference-to change the world."

He had no other response than to kiss her passionately. When they finally came up for air, he said, "Elizabeth, you are the most amazing woman. Thank you."

"Anything for you, Darling."

"Anything?" he asked.

"Except have seven security agents with us at Pemberley," she said, understanding where he was going with the question.

"Elizabeth-"

"Seriously, William Darcy. I'm not kidding. We don't need that much protection. Let us have a little free time before you're elected and we have twenty around us all the time. Besides, all the servants will be with us, adding more protection. Please," she began to beg.

"Six agents."

"Four."

"Five."

"Only if three are stationed outside the house."

"Deal."

William wasn't too happy with the outcome, but he would take what he could get.

"Now, you said you had a second 'demand'?"

"Yes. You must come see us on Sundays, at least, but preferably every weekend."

William smiled and picked her up to carry her back to their bed. "Of course, my dear. Of course."

As soon as they were lying on the bed, wrapped in each other's embrace, Michael's shrill cry pierced the room.

William groaned as his wife wiggled out from underneath him and put on her robe. "That child is always hungry."

Elizabeth giggled as she strode down the hall, quickly returning with both sons.

"Daddy!" cried Ben as he propelled himself up onto the king-sized bed.

"Ben!" yelled the older man as he began tickling his giggling son.

Elizabeth also laughed as she leaned against the headboard to feed Michael. She loved watching her boys play together.

Finally, when Bennett was tired, William gathered him in his lap and leaned back with his wife.

"Ben, Buddy, we have something to tell you and Michael."

Bennett looked up expectantly at the father he idolized.

"Mommy is going to have another baby."

Bennett's face was a look of pure shock, with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open.

"Bennett?" asked Elizabeth, concerned that he wasn't excited, "what do you think about that?"

"Another baby! Another baby! Another baby!" he yelled as he jumped excitedly on the bed.

William laughed. "I'll take that as a good sign. Did you hear that, Michael? You're going to have a baby brother or a baby sister."

The nine-month old simply looked at him unconcernedly as he continued sucking on his bottle.

"Ben, do you want a baby brother or a baby sister?"

"We're gonna have a baby sister," he said resolutely.

His parents laughed. "I guess it's decided then!" exclaimed William.

**I'd love to hear what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

The afternoon was spent packing, rearranging prior commitments, and flying, as Elizabeth and the little boys were heading to Mississippi that day and William was moving to campaign in the South, mostly in Florida. The family flew to Florida together in their jet to drop off William before Elizabeth and their sons went home to Pemberley.

"Daddy, I don't want you to leave," cried Bennett as he buried his face into his father's neck before he disembarked from the jet.

"Oh, Buddy, you'll see me in just a couple of days," he said soothingly, "You're not even going to miss me. Think of all the fun things you get to do at home. You and Mommy can go see the horses and go fishing, and you'll get to see Mr. Reynolds and your puppy, Harold."

"Harold!" his face lit up at the reminder of his three month old labor-doodle.

"There ya go! See, you're going to have a blast and I will come see you on Saturday," said William as he kissed his oldest son on the top of his head before turning to his wife.

"I'll miss you," she whispered, tears filling her eyes.

William smiled half heartedly. "I'll miss you too. But it will only be five days until I see you again."

"I know, but it's never the same without you."

"It'll go by quickly," he said brusquely as he tried to cover his own emotions. He kissed her deeply before giving Michael a quick peck on the cheek and stepping from the plane and out into the sunlight.

Elizabeth watched her husband leave before quickly drying her tears and sitting Bennett down with coloring books to keep him busy for the rest of the plane ride. Michael was asleep in his car seat and the security men were standing, or sitting, towards the front and back of the plane, so Elizabeth settled into her seat, hoping to catch some sleep. She sure needed it, having had a hurried day packing and scheduling. In spite of her location at home, she would still be able to meet with people in Mississippi and correspond with supporters. Her husband didn't know she was planning to, nor did she intend to tell him. It wouldn't be anything that could possibly hurt her health or put her into danger, just a few lunches and small speaking engagements. Jane and her kids were moving back to Mississippi for the winter in a couple of weeks, so she would have them for company, as well as her parents and other sisters who would come for a visit the next week.

Elizabeth sighed as she thought about her family. Her mother was as scatterbrained as ever, a wonderful teacher, but a horrible mother and friend. Her dad was perpetually introverted and spent his time either teaching science or reading about it. She loved her father, and was happy to see him, but had no desire to put up with her mom for a week. Mary and her pastor husband James would also be coming that week. They had been married six months and Elizabeth actually enjoyed being with the down-to-earth couple. That was a far cry from her other sisters, however. Kitty remained single, and never let anyone forget it. She cried and moped about it far too often for Elizabeth's taste.

Then there was Lydia. She wasn't allowed to come to Pemberley unless she left her family at home. She was married to George Wickham, a man that William couldn't stand. They had grown up together and George took advantage of both old Mr. Darcy and William. If there was one thing that William absolutely _hated _it was being manipulated and George knew every button he needed to push to get him to do something. George did anything he could to ruin the Darcy reputation, including convincing Georgiana to elope with him. Luckily, that plan had been thwarted when William returned from a trip to Europe a month early.

When George found out about William's infatuation with Elizabeth Bennett, he first tried to pursue Elizabeth. Unfortunately for him, she was more clever than he gave her credit for and she eventually saw through his charade to his true character and dropped him like a bad habit. When that didn't work, he tried the next best thing: ruining Elizabeth's desirability by becoming a part of her family. He convinced Lydia to run off with him, and eventually she became Mrs. Wickham. Contrary to what Wickham thought would happen, William didn't allow the new family connection to deter him and he continued pursuing Elizabeth. The relation didn't keep the two from hating each other, however, and Wickham was allowed nowhere near Pemberley. Lydia and George had three sons, all of whom were rowdy, rambunctious, and downright rude. Last Fourth of July had been the final straw. Lydia and the three boys spent the week with them and it took every ounce of restraint for Elizabeth to not kick them out. The boys were disrespectful to not only she and William, but to the servants as well, and they had broken a priceless vase from China, but it was nothing compared to what they had done to Bennett.

The Darcy's had invited thirty families for their annual Fourth of July party and the backyard was mass chaos. There were three long tables laden with food and four more long tables full of feasting families under a large white tent. The pool was brimming over with kids of all ages and there were games being played all around. Some brave souls had even ventured to swim in the pond over by the horse stables. Elizabeth had been with Mrs. Reynolds in the kitchen preparing more dishes to set out when William came up to her, a widespread, carefree grin on his face.

"Where's Bennett? I want to show him the new horse I just bought."

"Isn't he with you?" she asked nonchalantly as she sliced more tomatoes.

"No. Mary told me he was with you."

Elizabeth looked up, her eyes displaying only a hint of worry.

"Is he with my parents?"

The two rushed outside to find for the then three year old but no one could tell them where he was.

"I'm sure he's around here somewhere, Eliza," Charles' sister, Caroline declared condescendingly.

"Well, he's not at the bottom of the pool," commented Lydia carelessly, "That's all you really need to be worried about."

Suddenly, Elizabeth clutched at Darcy's shirt. "Will! The pond!"

The two started sprinting towards the pond, Darcy calling to the men to come help him. They reached the edge, and Darcy was prepared to dive in when Jefferson Wickham stopped him.

"He's not in there."

Darcy turned around. "You know where he is?"

"Maybe," the ten year old answered impertinently.

"Well, where is he?" asked Darcy, stepping closer to the boy. He was losing his patience quickly.

"Why should I tell you?"

Elizabeth stepped in before her husband strangled her nephew. "Jefferson. You have to tell us where he is. He could be upset or hurt. Please. Where did you put him?"

"I'm not telling." Then he looked up into the steel blue eyes of his uncle and he cowered. "He's in the house."

William grabbed him behind the neck and steered him toward Richard. "Watch him. Do not let him out of your sight. I'll take care of him later."

Richard nodded and the parents raced to the house. They got the servants involved as well. Half were searching the bottom two floors and asking the guests if they'd seen the three year old and half were searching the top floor. Will and Elizabeth went from room to room, but were unsuccessful in their search and Elizabeth was becoming frantic.

"Will, it's been almost an hour and a half and we haven't had any sign of him. What if Jefferson lied? What if he is in the pond?"

He turned away from the closet he was peering into and grabbed ahold of her shoulders. "Elizabeth, sweetheart, I am sure he is around here somewhere." Despite his words, she could see the anxiety he was feeling.

"We've checked every room in the house. Where else can he be?" Georgiana asked as she walked into the room.

Darcy paced the length of the hallway, thinking hard. Finally, he snapped his fingers and started running. "The attic!"

"The attic? But he's never been up to the attic!" exclaimed Elizabeth as she followed him.

Darcy fairly leaped up the stairs and burst into the musty room. "Perhaps, but the Wickham boys were up here yesterday. Bennett!"

Then he heard muffled sobs from the corner. "Daddy!"

"It's okay, Ben. I'm coming." He quickly searched through piled boxes and old furniture before coming to an antique wardrobe that had a turn key on the outside. Darcy turned the key and opened the door to find Bennett cowering in the corner, tears running down his dusty cheeks. He picked his son up and held his trembling frame close to his chest, Elizabeth also throwing her arms around the two of them.

"Buddy, shhh. You're okay. Mommy and Daddy found you. It's okay."

That afternoon William politely, but firmly, told Lydia that her sons were not allowed at Pemberley until they could behave themselves better and Bennett had nightmares for months afterward. Elizabeth had no clue if Lydia was coming with the rest of their family for Christmas this year. She usually gave no forewarning, but just showed up. She figured it didn't matter much, as long as she didn't bring her horrible boys, because the week would be barely tolerable anyway.

A mere hour later, the jet was taxying to a stop and Elizabeth was gathering the boys and the diaper bag. They walked down the steps to find a car and a driver waiting for them.

"Mr. Reynolds!" yelled Bennett as he ran into the old man's arms.

"Ben, my boy! I sure have missed you," said the driver, "and so has Harold. He's been staying with me and Mrs. Reynolds while you've been away."

"Harold! Will I see him at home?"

"Yes, siree," he replied before turning to Elizabeth, "Mrs. Darcy, it is good to see you. Congratulations on the baby," he said.

"It's good to see you as well, Mr. Reynolds," replied Elizabeth as she pulled him into a hug. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds, the housekeeper, had been amazing to her since she came to live at Pemberley and she loved them almost like her own parents. "How is Mrs. Reynolds?"

"Fit as a fiddle. She's waiting for you at home. The men finished packing the car, so we can be on our way if you'd like."

"That's fine. How is everything at Pemberley?"

"Running smoothly ma'am. Your husband has been taking care of all the business while you all have been away and we had a very good year. The house is nice and clean, and the cook has a delicious meal ready when we get there."

"Thank you," said Elizabeth before she leaned her head back on the seat and closed her eyes. She was feeling a little car sick.

"Mommy!" cried Bennett twenty minutes later. "The horsies!" They had made it onto the five hundred acre estate.

"Oh wow," she said. "Look! It's Daddy's horse. I bet he'll be happy to see you."

"Can I go see?"

"Maybe after we eat dinner you can go see them for a little bit. But then it'll be bedtime."

Bennett pouted at the mention of bedtime, but was silent for the rest of the ride home.

Ten minutes later they drove through a wrought iron gate and up the circular drive in front of the beautiful, white, plantation-style mansion that the Darcys call home. The gardens were beautifully manicured and full of tulips and rose bushes in the spring, however, it was looking rather bare due to the time of year. Beautiful, large trees surrounded the house, but in the back one could see sprawling fields and the stables. Elizabeth loved the Pemberley Plantation and immediately felt at home when she had arrived as a newlywed. It was her own Eden. Perhaps her favorite part of the house was the wrap-around porch on both the first and second levels. She had made sure to have plenty of seating out there, and she and William often spent their summer nights reading or talking out in the rocking chairs.

Mrs. Reynolds came out and stood on the porch as Mr. Reynolds opened the car door for Elizabeth and began helping the servants pull the bags out.

"Welcome home, Mrs. Darcy," said the smiling, plump housekeeper.

"It's so good to be back," sighed Elizabeth as she hugged the middle-aged woman.

Michael started crying, having been woken up by the voices. Elizabeth sighed yet again as she pulled him from his car seat. "He's probably hungry. I'll go make him a bottle if you all can get the bags up to our rooms."

"Mommy, can I go see the horsies?" asked Bennett.

"Buddy, I told you after dinner. Cook has made a good dinner."

"Actually, Mrs. Darcy, Cook said it'll be another thirty minutes or so," interrupted Mrs. Reynolds.

"Very well. You can go if Mr. Reynolds will take you," she conceded, looking to the driver for confirmation.

"Of course!" he smiled, "We'll go right now."

He grabbed Bennett's hand and the two set off behind the house and towards the stables.

Elizabeth turned and walked up the steps into the large foyer, smiling with the feeling of finally being home. Quickly, she walked into her favorite room of the house-the kitchen. The white cabinetry and stainless steel fixtures gave it a modern, although antique and country feel that she loved, but the windows all around the room were what made it truly wonderful. The breakfast nook in particular was spectacular. Three walls of glass enclosed the white kitchen table and she loved sitting there in the mornings drinking her coffee.

She shifted a crying Michael on her hip and set about making his bottle, while trying to stay out of the cook's way. As soon as the bottle was ready, she moved into the creme and blue living room to feed him. When she had moved into the house, the furniture was all antique, but she adored the look and feel of the furniture and made very minimal changes to the house to update it here and there.

Ten minutes later, Michael was his giggly self again and she took him to her room with her to unpack her bags. One of the maids would have done it, but she wanted to help and make sure that everything was where it was supposed to be. They walked up the stairs through the long hallways of the house to the master bedroom. The master bedroom was one of the few rooms in the house that she completely redecorated. Previously, it had been decorated in orange and green stripes and she wanted no part in that. Now, the large room was decorated only in creme, and was very decadent. She loved lots of pillows on the large bed and plush creme carpet with large window treatments. The south and east walls were covered with windows, and the east wall had a door that opened out onto a balcony that she and William would enjoy most nights.

She laid Michael down on the bed and surrounded him with pillows as she assisted one of the maids in unpacking her bags.

"Mrs. Elizabeth?" began her maid Haley.

"Yes, Haley?"

"I'm so glad that you've come home, but may I ask why you came home without Mr. Darcy?"

Elizabeth hesitated for a moment. "Well, if you must know, we have received some threats and Mr. Darcy decided we would be safer here. Not to mention that the kids and I need a bit of a break."

"I understand. I apologize for snooping."

"No worries. Now, if you will excuse me, I believe dinner is about to be served." Elizabeth took Michael downstairs where Bennett was sitting at the table, ready to start dinner. She assumed Haley would continue unpacking, but the maid pulled out a cell phone instead.

"Yes," she whispered. "They're here. Darcy sent them to be safe. He'll be gone until Saturday. Better do it before then." She didn't listen to a word of response but slammed the phone shut before unpacking her employer's extensive shoe collection.


	8. Chapter 8

Elizabeth and her sons quickly set into a daily routine. Michael would wake the household with his screams of hunger and Elizabeth would feed him while Bennett dressed himself. Elizabeth and Bennett would eat breakfast and read a Bible devotion while Michael took a nap. They would eat lunch, and then the afternoons were spent rather busily. Mrs. Reynolds would watch Michael and Mr. Reynolds would take Ben fishing or to see the horses while Elizabeth busied herself with campaign work. Then they would meet up together again for dinner before baths and a bedtime story. The best part of their day, however, was the call from Daddy every night before bed. He would listen to Bennett talk about his day and give him kisses over the phone before saying a few words to Michael. Then Elizabeth would tuck the boys in and say their prayers. Afterwards, she would call William back and they would talk for another hour about their days, although Elizabeth left out any work she was doing. By the third night, however, her campaigning was no secret.

"Will, I miss you," she told him.

"Sweetheart, I miss you too," he paused, "You know, I got a call from Mrs. Jordyn yesterday."

Elizabeth tried to act casual. "You did?"

"Yes, and it was very curious. She mentioned hearing you speak at a Republican Women's Tea and said you did a marvelous job. She said that I had their votes. I thought you weren't doing any campaigning, Elizabeth." The last part finally revealed his frustration.

"Well, you see," she began slowly, "I figured it was pointless for me to sit around here doing nothing and-"

"Elizabeth Darcy, listen to me. You need to be recuperating, not stressing yourself out trying to get me more supporters. I am winning in the polls and I can do anything else on my own." She could tell he was losing patience with her.

"But-"

"Elizabeth, I'm not going to argue with you."

"Well, fine then," she said shortly, hanging up on him.

She fell onto her bed sobbing, somewhat ashamed at the way she had spoken to her husband, but mostly frustrated that he was being so unreasonable. And she missed him terribly. The last two nights she had slept in one of the guest rooms because she couldn't bring herself to sleep in their bed without him. Five minutes later, the phone rang again.

"Hel-hello?" she answered, trying to sound normal but failing miserably.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry," he apologized softly, "I shouldn't have lost my temper."

"No, I'm sorry," she cried, "I shouldn't ha-have hung u-up on y-you."

"Shhh Elizabeth, calm down. It's okay." He sure wished he could be there with her, but unfortunately it would be another two days until he would get to see her again.

"I've been s-so emotional and I h-hate it."

William knew that he was already on thin ice but decided to progress anyway. "Darling, that's why I need you to rest. It's almost November and your pregnancy puts that much more stress on you, so I'd rather you relax now than later. Can you do that for me?"

His wife sighed loudly. "Fine."

"Thank you. Now, why don't you tell me about your day?"

The two were in the middle of talking about William's week when Elizabeth heard a bump and paused.

"Hey Babe, hold on for a second. Ben is sleepwalking again," she said as she made her way down the hall to put him back in bed.

"Since when has he been sleepwalking?"

"Since you left," she replied nonchalantly. Nonetheless, she heard a sigh on the other end of the phone.

"I'm sorry. I'll be home in just two days. I wish I could be with you all the time."

"Well, technically you could be. It was your choice to send us here."

"Elizabeth, please don't start. You know it's for your own-"

"Will," she cut him off in a panicked whisper, "there's someone in his room."

"What?"

"There's a man in his room! I can hear his voice!"

"It's probably Mrs. Reynolds or Cantor."

"No." She knew those were possibilities, but her motherly instinct told her otherwise. "Someone else!"

"Elizabeth, go find an agent," ordered her anxious husband, "Elizabeth!"

In the back of her mind, she knew it would be the wisest course of action, but she was so worried for her son that she rushed into his bedroom alone. She opened the door to find her son lying unconscious in a large, masked man's arms. She screamed and dropped the phone as she lunged toward the kidnapper. Before she was able to reach him, however, she was grabbed from behind in a viselike grip.

"Let go of me!" she managed to scream before a hand was clamped over her mouth. She tried to kick and scratch and bite, but nothing fazed the second man. The man holding her son had managed to get ahold of the phone and the one holding her had begun to drag her toward the window when Cantor and Jameson burst through the door with guns drawn.

"Let them go," commanded Cantor in his deep, authoritative voice.

In response the kidnappers pulled their own guns and pressed them against their hostage's heads. The agents shifted their stances, but their guns remained pointed.

"Gentleman, I suggest that you drop your weapons before Darcy Junior here gets his brains blown out."

At this threat, Elizabeth cried out and her eyes were wild with fear. The Secret Service agents didn't move a muscle.

The man cocked the gun, "I wasn't kidding."

Elizabeth thrashed around in an effort to get to her son, but was unsuccessful in anything other than getting more bruises. The agents lowered their guns, but still kept them in their hands.

The man holding Bennett mockingly saluted the men before climbing out the window with the boy. The other man dragged a fighting Elizabeth to the window, but as he stooped to get through, a shot rang out and he fell to the ground. Cantor had shot him in the head, enabling Elizabeth to go free, but as Elizabeth rushed to the window to get her son, she saw a van speeding away. When she realized that her son hadn't been rescued, her knees buckled and she fell to a sobbing heap on the floor.

"No! Oh God, no," she screamed, "Oh God!"

William heard a thud as the phone fell to the floor and a scream.

"Elizabeth!" he shouted. "Elizabeth!"

He heard nothing but more screams and shuffling.

"Elizabeth!"

"You should've listened to us, Senator Darcy," whispered an unknown voice on the other end.

"Who is this?" he growled.

"We told you to resign, but you didn't listen, and it's too late. Now your family is suffering the consequences. What a shame, your wife is beautiful. She'll give my men some fun, I'm sure." Then the phone clicked off.

"Damn it!" he yelled, throwing the phone at the mirror in his hotel room and causing Richard and Charles to rush into the room.

"Will, what on earth-"

"They took them!" he shouted wildly. "They took my wife and son!"

"Mr. Darcy, calm down. Who took them?"

"You idiot! Don't tell me to calm down! Those men- the 'AnitCapitalists'" he spat the name, "broke in to my house and took them." He stormed across the room and threw open the door that led to the rest of the suite. "Call the FBI," he bellowed, "and get Cantor on the phone _now._"

His staff paused momentarily at the crazy look in their normally calm boss's eyes, before rushing to do as he bid.

"William," began an outwardly calm Richard, "the helicopter will be ready to take you to Pemberley in ten minutes. We'll take care of things here, but you need be there with Michael."

"Fine," he snapped.

"Senator," called one of his interns, "Agent Cantor is on the phone."

William strode over and grabbed the phone from the terrified girl's hand.

"What the hell happened?"

"Well, sir, first I should tell you that your wife is safe."

"Oh, thank God," he fell onto the couch. "How is she?"

"She is asleep, sir."

"Asleep?" he repeated.

"Yes, sir. She was so hysterical that a doctor had to be called in to give her a sedative. But, sir, I'm afraid they managed to take your son."

Darcy shot right back off the couch. "They-they have Bennett?" he managed to choke out.

"I'm sorry sir. We have every law enforcement agency and as many agents as possible out searching for him."

"Oh God." He felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. The thought of his son being in the hands of such ruthless men overwhelmed him with fear and he felt momentarily paralyzed. He had no clue what to do-where to start, he only knew that something needed to be done.

"We'll find him, sir."

"I don't want any empty promises, Cantor. You've already failed at your job. How on earth could they get that far onto my property, into my house, and past Secret Service agents? Why were you even there if you weren't going to do anything? I'll be at Pemberley in two hours. You'd better have a report on what is being done to find my son by the time I get there," he said before slamming the phone down and heading to his office.

"Will, what exactly has happened?" asked a very concerned Charles as he shut the office door behind him.

William was pacing the length of the room with a stormy expression and his hands clasped tightly behind his back. It was everything he could do to maintain any resemblance of composure.

"They apparently climbed the window outside of Bennett's room," he replied lifelessly. "I don't know details, but they managed to rescue Elizabeth."

"Well, that's good, right?" Charles was confused as to William's agitation because he had been getting the helicopter when everything else had gone down.

"They took Bennett." He was distraught and collapsed into his chair, his head falling into his hands.

Charles paled upon hearing the news. He had to take a few moments to gather his emotions, but he eventually found his voice.

"William, they will find him. I promise."

"How can you know that?" asked William, nearly begging his best friend for answers.

"I just do," said his friend forcefully, "now, the helicopter has arrived and you need to be with Elizabeth."

Will simply nodded and strode out the door. As he walked through the hotel suite, his staff gave him sympathetic smiles, kind words, and a few tears came from the women.

"We'll be praying," said one.

"They'll find him, Sir. I know it," said another.

William was unable to do anything other than nod, for fear of losing himself completely. Unknown to him, it had been decided that Charles would accompany him to Pemberley and Richard would return to Washington D.C. to deal with issues there, so he was surprised to see Charles join him in the helicopter.

"Have you told Jane?" he asked emotionlessly.

"I called her just now. She's beside herself, but said she would tell the family and keep them out of your hair. Let us know if Elizabeth needs her and she'll leave the kids with a babysitter and head down."

"Thank you."

The rest of the ride was spent in silence, not that they were able to talk once the propellers started.

An hour later the helicopter landed on the grasses of his estate and the men were forced to weave through camera crews and reporters a mile away from the house. Ignoring everyone as they went, Will and his entourage made it into the house quickly. Initially, Will couldn't decide if he should go to Elizabeth, or Cantor first, and finally decided on the agent figuring that Elizabeth would still be asleep.

He passed dozens of police officers and FBI agents and strode purposefully into his little boy's room. The sight of it nearly made him double over in pain, but he momentarily ignored it to talk to Cantor.

"Explain," he said authoritatively.

"Jameson and I were patrolling the downstairs and the other three were outside-they're all dead, Sir - when we heard Mrs. Darcy scream. We ran upstairs and checked a couple of rooms because we weren't sure where it had come from. We heard her yell again and realized it came from your son's room. The two of us ran into the room with our guns drawn and found your wife and son both being held by two large men. When they saw our guns, they pulled their own and held them against your wife and son's heads."

William wanted to put his hands over his ears and ignore the horrors of what his wife and son had faced, but knew that was impossible. He simply shut down any of his emotions and bade Cantor to continue.

"When we saw that they were serious, we lowered our own weapons. The man holding your son leapt out the window. I suppose they had a ladder or something of the sort. When the second man started toward the window, I shot at him and-"

"You shot at the man holding my wife in front of him?" asked Darcy incredulously. "What if you had missed?"

"I'm a very good shot, sir," he responded, "I shot him in the head and your wife was released, but unfortunately, when she realized that your son had been kidnapped she went into hysterics. Not even Mrs. Reynolds could calm her down, so she called your doctor and he came and gave her a sedative. It wasn't very strong, so he said she should be waking up pretty soon. Jameson immediately called the front gate and had them close it, but the kidnappers came and went through another way. Some of our men followed the tire treads, and they went cut through a piece of fence on the southwest side of the plantation, giving them easy access to the highway."

"Thank you Cantor. You did your job the best that you could do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to talk to the FBI agent in charge." He walked over to where Charles was talking to a rather large man dressed in a suit. The man reached out and shook his hand.

"Will, I'm sorry we have to see each other again under such circumstances."

"Me too, Arthur, me too." The two knew each other from high school. "What have you got?"

"Well, our team has ID'd the dead man. His name was Clark Harry. He's got a record of petty thefts and helping other smarter criminals with the dirty work. We're cross referencing his acquaintances with any of yours."

"Clark Harry?" asked William, "I know that name."

Arthur looked surprised. "How do you know him?"

William thought for a few moments and Arthur knew he'd figured out the answer when his face hardened and became inscrutable.

"Who is he?" asked Charles.

"Wickham."

"Wickham?"

"Clark Harry is George Wickham's cousin. I met him a few times when we were younger. He always was a bully. That's it!" he suddenly yelled, startling the others. "It's Wickham. There never was an AntiCapitalist group. He made it up so he could get back at me." His eyes were black with fury.

"Are you sure?" asked a skeptical Arthur. He had also known Wickham from high school and found it hard to believe that such a congenial boy could be so evil.

"Of course I'm sure! He's had it out for me since we were boys and this is exactly something he would do to get revenge for me not giving him any more money."

"We'll look for other possibilities, but for now we'll chase this lead," conceded the FBI agent.

"Thank you," William responded shortly. "Now, I will let you get back to your job while I go see my wife. Charles, would you set up a press conference? As much as I don't want to, the media needs to get the right story."

"Very well. You just go be with Elizabeth."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello my dearest readers! I apologize for how long it took for me to add this, but I do hope that you enjoy it!**

Darcy walked slowly to the master bedroom, attempting to pull himself together so that he could be strong for his wife. When he opened the door and saw his beautiful bride in a drug induced sleep, tears sprang to his eyes.

"Oh, Sweetheart," he whispered despite the lump in his throat, "I'm so, so sorry." He walked over and softly stretched out on top of the bed, gathering her in her arms. As he did, she stirred.

"William?" she asked confused. A second later, she remembered the events of the last few hours and buried her head into his chest, sobbing.

William didn't know how he could comfort her, when he himself was feeling hopeless, so he simply held her shaking body and allowed his tears to mix with hers. They laid in each other's embrace, grieving for another thirty minutes before Elizabeth found herself able to talk.

"Where have they taken him?" she cried.

"The FBI is looking for him. They'll figure out where he is."

"Is this the AntiCapitalist group?"

William decided that it would not be the best time to tell her about her brother-in-law's suspected involvement, so he just mumbled something unintelligible.

"What do you think they're going to do to him?"

"He'll be fine, Sweetheart. We'll have him back in no time," he whispered, hoping he sounded convincing even though he himself was not convinced.

They remained together until there was a knock on their door. The couple looked at each other, wondering who it was, before William untangled himself from his wife's arms and opened the door to Charles.

Charles looked at William's red eyes and his tear-stained shirt, then looked back at the bed towards Elizabeth. William opened the door wider to let Charles in, and his best friend walked over to his wife and pulled her into a crushing hug.

"Elizabeth, I'm so so sorry. We're going to find him, I promise."

"Thanks, Charles," she whispered.

William cleared his throat, signaling his curiosity as to his friend's presence.

"Apparently, the men in Bennett's room woke Michael up and Mrs. Reynolds told me to tell you he's crying for you."

"Okay. Will, can you come with me to get him?"

William was confused at the request, but nodded, "First let's find out the other reason Charles came."

"Ah, right," began Charles, "the press conference has been scheduled for eight this morning, so you have about five hours until you need to be ready. I just thought I would let you know."

"Press conference?" asked Elizabeth.

William could sense her tension at the mention of it. "Sweetheart, there are dozens of reporters and cameras outside and we need to make sure that they have the right story. You understand, don't you? And you don't have to be there if you don't want to. In fact, I'd rather you weren't there."

"I agree with Will, Elizabeth. It would probably be better for your health if you stayed inside."

Elizabeth simply nodded.

"You guys should get some sleep before-" started Charles.

"No. I need an update. Where are Cantor and Arthur?"

"Cantor is downstairs and Arthur returned to his office. He said he would let us known when they got another lead."

"Well, I can't just sit here, waiting for them to find Bennett." Now that he was with his wife and they'd had their moment of grief and fear, he was ready to take action. Otherwise, he knew he would go crazy.

"Why don't you call Richard and see what is being done in Washington?" he suggested.

"Fine. Elizabeth, I'll be in my office if you need any-"

"I'm coming with you," she interrupted.

"Very well then."

William accompanied Elizabeth to check on Michael to find he had fallen back asleep, and then he three made their way to the other end of the house where William put in a call to Richard.

"Mr. Darcy, any update?" asked Richard as soon as he answered.

William told him everything he knew before asking the same question of his chief advisor.

"Well, keep in mind that it's only four thirty in the morning here," he answered, "I'll have much more to tell you in the morning. Right now the staff is just making sure that no false information is being leaked."

"Good. Keep me updated."

He had just hung up the phone when Cantor rushed in.

"Sir, there's a package for you."

"From who?"

"The AntiCapitalists."

Elizabeth grabbed her husband's arm in fear and Charles subtly stepped behind her and prepared to catch her, afraid that she would collapse considering the pallor of her face.

"Well, where is it?" he asked tersely.

"It's downstairs in the living room. It's being scanned for explosives and evidence, but so far there's nothing."

"Who brought it?"

"We don't know. Your maid brought it to us, said that a man gave it to her, but she was unable to tell us what he looked like."

"Bring it up."

As Cantor left to bring the package, William turned to Elizabeth and grabbed her face between his hands.

"Elizabeth, it'll be fine. It's more information about Bennett. Any information is good information."

Elizabeth nodded and allowed herself to be led to the couch. She was sitting, William was pacing, and Charles was standing still when Cantor entered with the package and five more FBI agents.

"Senator, here it is. The packaging has been checked for clues and there were none, so you may open it."

William nodded and grabbed the package. He stared at it for a few moments before tearing open the brown paper that wrapped the box. Inside that box was a smaller box, and inside that box was a smaller box. Finally, he made it to a letter that had obviously been written left handed. He read it silently, and when he finished he quickly opened the smallest box, only to tense when he pulled out a polaroid picture.

Elizabeth glanced nervously at her husband and reached for the picture. She gasped and her shaking hand flew to her mouth as she beheld a picture of her son tied to a chair and gagged. His eyes were wide with fright and she could see the tracks his tears had made. Her whole being was quivering and it took everything in her to not give in to her fear. Her heart broke for the terror she knew her poor baby had to be facing. The thought of it nearly prostrated her. Everything around her faded as she prayed fervently for her son to be brought back to her safely.

"Will," Charles called softly, "what does the letter say?"

Despite his worry for Elizabeth, he gave in and read the letter:

"Senator, It is most unfortunate that your wife was able to be rescued, however, we will find a way to get to her-"

He paused here and looked at his wife, sitting transfixed on the couch and her skin paling by the second.

"Keep going," she whispered.

"-In the meantime, we do indeed have your son. He is safe and healthy for the moment, but only as long as you agree to our demands. Since you refused to listen to us and quit your campaign for president, we require twenty million dollars by 5 o'clock this afternoon. Otherwise, you'll never see your precious son again and we'll send him home piece by piece."

At this point, Elizabeth's breathing was coming in short gasps and tears were streaming down her face.

"Elizabeth, look at me," ordered William. "Elizabeth, Sweetheart, I need you to look at me." He gently grabbed cupped her chin and turned it up towards him. "We will find him. I promise. Elizabeth, take deep breaths."

Elizabeth tried her best to calm down, but was unsuccessful. William pressed her tightly to his chest and ran his fingers through her hair, something that he knew relaxed her, and eventually her breathing returned to normal but tears continued to fall from her eyes.

"What-what if they can't f-find h-him?" she sobbed.

William squeezed his eyes tightly and continued to rock her.

"Shhhh. Elizabeth, they will find him. They've found some leads and are working on it right now. I told them to let me know as soon as something changes."

"H-how do we kn-know that he's o-okay?" she cried.

"I'm sure he is," lied her husband, "We'll have him back soon enough."

William motioned to the agents to leave the room and he'd meet them out in the hall momentarily. He didn't want Elizabeth to know every detail of what was going on. He held his wife for a few more minutes but as he got up to leave the room, she grasped his arm.

"Where are you going?" she asked frantically.

"Sweetheart, I'm just going out into the hall to talk to the agents. I'll be back in just a moment."

"Then I'll come with you," she said pulling herself off the couch.

"I'd rather you just lie here. We don't need you collapsing again."

"No!" she said emphatically, her eyes wild with fear. "Please don't leave me."

"Elizabeth, I'll just be a few feet away, right outside the door."

"Please," she begged.

"Okay," he conceded, although his concern for her was growing.

The two stepped out into the hallway where the men were waiting.

"Have you found any more leads?"

"We can't seem to find any others who know George Wickham," replied the agent William preferred over the others, Agent Madren.

"George Wickham?" asked a bewildered Elizabeth. "What does he have to do with Bennett?"

"Shelby Younge of Buxton may know where he is," he told the men, ignoring his wife's questions.

"Good. We'll go speak to her."

"Now, about this twenty million-" began William.

"We don't think you should give in to their demands."

Elizabeth looked from her husband to the agent and back again. "Of course we will!" she exclaimed, "There's no telling what they will do unless they get the money."

"Ma'am, there's really no telling what they will do even after they receive it."

William glared at the man as his wife struggled to gain control of her emotions.

"We will have it wired over, but will not make another move unless we hear from them again," he decided. "Twenty million dollars means nothing to me if it means that my son is returned to us."

"It means nothing to him anyway," mumbled one of the agents, earning yet another murderous glare from the Senator.

"Don't you gentlemen have something you should be doing to _find my son_," spat a very angry William.

"Actually, Mrs. Darcy we have yet to debrief you," said Agent Madren.

Elizabeth nodded and the group moved into the living room where Elizabeth and William sat on the couch and Madren sat in the chair across. The typical questions were asked and Elizabeth answered them as honestly as she could, keeping a hold on her emotions the entire time. When they completed the debriefing, it was six o'clock in the morning.

"Mrs. Darcy," said Mrs. Reynolds as she entered the living room, "I have breakfast for you and Mr. Darcy in the kitchen."

"Thank you, Mrs. Reynolds, but I'm not hungry."

"Elizabeth, you need to eat," her husband told her.

"I will not eat right now, thank you for your concern though," she retorted sassily.

"Mrs. Darcy, if I may," began her housekeeper, "you haven't eaten since dinner and have been up all night. I think it would be wise to eat a little something to keep your energy for the day to come. Not to mention that you'll also need to take care of Michael." William shot Mrs. Reynolds a grateful look before leading the way into the kitchen where oatmeal and coffee was waiting.

**Reviews would be greatly appreciated!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay loves! I decided that it might be time to give you a little bit more of the story. I hate it when other writers wait so long to post that I forget what the story was even about in the first place, so I decided to hopefully stop doing that to you! As for those of you that are worried that Elizabeth is a little weaker than the original character, I can see where you think that but I also think that none of us can imagine the horror of having a child kidnapped. That being said, situations change so people have no choice but to pull themselves together... Enjoy the chapter!**

William and Elizabeth were sitting silently at the table eating, or in Elizabeth's case, nibbling, when Charles walked in.

"The press conference is in an hour and a half, and I actually think Elizabeth should be with you. The two of you should probably freshen up a bit beforehand. It'll be on the front porch-very relaxed. As far as we know, nothing has been published yet, but after the conference, they will all be rushing to the printers and to the news stations. I talked to Richard and he said to just tell them whatever you want them to know and nothing else."

"That's fine with me if Elizabeth feels up to talking," Darcy said, looking inquiringly at his wife. She nodded silently before returning her attention to the uneaten oatmeal.

"Elizabeth, why don't you go on upstairs and shower? I'm going to go over some particulars with Charles."

"I'll wait for you."

"It'll probably be a few minutes and you'll need the time to make yourself presentable. Besides, Michael will probably be up in a few minutes and you'll need to feed him," said William in an attempt to persuade her.

"I don't mind waiting." Elizabeth maintained her seated position at the breakfast table with her arms crossed, staring at her husband as if daring him to defy her.

Charles shot William a confused look before resuming the conversation on the press conference. "Just be honest. Tell them what you think they need to know, but nothing that makes you uncomfortable. We aren't too worried about the kidnappers caring what you say, so you don't need to worry about that."

"Thanks, Charles, for everything," said Darcy. "By the way, it completely slipped my mind. Did Mrs. Reynolds prepare a room for you?"

"She prepared one of the upstairs guest rooms on the south side, thank you. I'm going to go freshen up myself, if you'll excuse me." He exited the kitchen, hoping to call Jane, knowing she would have been unable to sleep due to the drama surrounding her family.

When Charles had left the room, William turned to Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth, love, is there a reason you won't let me out of your sight?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, avoiding eye contact.

"Ever since I've been back, you've followed me everywhere and requested that I come with you whenever you need to do something. That's so unlike you and it worries me."

Even though Elizabeth had thought herself completely empty of tears, her eyes were full once again. "I'm scared," she whispered.

"Oh, sweetheart," William said, wrapping her in his strong arms, "I won't let anything happen to you."

"But what about Bennett?" she cried.

"Elizabeth Darcy, I will do _everything_ in my power to protect you and get our son back. There are agents all over this house and will be until these men are caught. They won't have a single opportunity to get to you. Do you understand me? I will not let anything happen to you," he said adamantly. "In the meantime, I have stuff that I need to be doing and people I have to talk to in order to get Bennett home, and I can't do that when I am worrying about you. I want you to take care of yourself and Michael. Can you do that?"

Elizabeth sniffed and nodded, then William kissed her on the forehead as he rose from the table.

"I'm going to call Richard and have him transfer the money. Why don't you go upstairs and shower? I'll send Jameson up to stand outside the door so he can get to you if there's a problem."

Elizabeth agreed and managed to get herself upstairs, despite the fatigue that was consuming her. She wouldn't let herself think about her oldest son, afraid that the second she thought of what he was going through she would be unable to function. She trudged into Michael's room to find that he continued to sleep soundly in spite of the loud men throughout the house. Before she left, she called one of the Secret Service agents, Andrews, and asked him to remain with Michael. He didn't look to pleased at the prospect of standing watch over an infant, but she ignored his annoyance. When that task was completed, she returned to her bedroom.

"Hayley," she called through the intercom, "will you please set out a blouse and skirt for me to wear at the press conference? And prepare to do my hair."

She peeked outside the door, making sure that Jameson was standing guard, before hopping into the shower. She let the hot water run over her and tried to relax. Normally, a hot shower would have calmed her down, but this was an exception. She washed her hair and rushed through shaving her legs, nicking her knee in the process, but she was out of the shower quickly. She dried off her body and towel-dried her hair before wrapping herself in a robe and stepping into the bedroom to find her maid.

"Hayley, I'm ready when you are," she called.

"I'm coming Mrs. Darcy," her maid called back from her closet. Elizabeth moved to her vanity and sat down with a sigh. She was examining her still-flat stomach for signs of her pregnancy when she looked up to see the girl in the mirror with a letter in her hand.

"Mrs. Darcy, I was told to give this to you."

Elizabeth took the letter and looked curiously at it. Her name was pasted with newspaper letters on the envelope. She took that to be a very bad sign and her hands were shaking as she pulled out a sheet of paper. She read silently and her faced was initially masked with fear, then horror, and finally steely resolve.

"_Mrs. Darcy,_

_As you well know, we have your son, but you will be happy to know that he has not been hurt. Yet. You see, we really wanted you, but were forced to settle for your dear Bennet. In order to fix this problem, we've decided to give you an ultimatum. If you can bring yourself to where we are, without telling a soul, then we will release your son. If you refuse to come, however, then you will never see your son alive again. We will provide a way for you to get to where we are, but for now your job is to escape your house (again without anyone knowing-especially your husband) and go to the mall in town. When you get there you'll be told what to do next. Don't try anything funny. We're watching you._

_See you soon,_

_The AnitCapitalists_"

"Hayley, I won't need you anymore. Thank you," she dismissed her maid as she put the letter into a drawer of her vanity, quickly pulled her wet hair into a bun, and pulled on jeans and a blouse. When she was finished dressing, she exited the room in search of her husband. She found him by himself in the living room, pacing. She paused, trying to get up the strength to do what she had to do. She could see in the set of her husband's shoulders the burden he was carrying and she could hardly add to it, but her son was her top priority at the moment.

"William," she began, "I have to get out of here."

He looked up sharply, "Well, we both know that's not going to happen. Not until these men are caught."

"It's not a request. I am leaving. I can't stand being here anymore. Everything is a mess and I cannot handle being surrounded by people who don't know what they're doing. I'll be back in a little bit, but I need a break."

"Where exactly do you think you're going?" he asked as he followed her through the foyer to the front door and grabbed her wrist.

Elizabeth hadn't expected this question and had to think quickly. "My parents'," she answered, wrenching her hand away from him.

"You want to be with your _mother_ at a time like this?" he asked incredulously.

"I don't care where I go, I just need to-" she paused, hating to say what she knew would be the final blow.

"You just need to _what_, Elizabeth?"

"I just need to get away from you!" she burst out, her resolve diminishing as she saw him recoil as if he'd just received a physical blow. She could hardly stand breaking his heart like that, but she continued, knowing that it was the only way she could save her son. "It's your fault all of this has happened. If it weren't for you and your politics, our son would be here with us!"

Rather than waiting for him to respond, she ran out the door and to the black sedan in the driveway, tears streaming down her face. The security guards ran out the door to stop her, but she was already driving away.

**I would love to hear any comments or reviews! Don't hesitate to post what you think.**


	11. Chapter 11

**This may be the quickest I've ever posted a new chapter! It's a bit heartbreaking, but I do so hope that you like it. **

"It's your fault all of this happened. If it weren't for you and your politics, our son would be here with us!"

Darcy felt like he'd been punched in the stomach, or as if icy water had been thrown on him. He could only stand there numbly, shocked that his wife would ever say something so cruel. He couldn't even form coherent thoughts, he could only stand their dumbly and watch her go, even though in the back of his mind he knew it was a horrible idea.

_Is it true? _he thought. _Is it really my fault? Of course it's my fault. If only I'd just stuck with law and forgotten about politics, this would have never happened. It's my fault that Bennett is gone, and now Elizabeth is gone. _The thought took everything out of him and he fell into a chair that was in the foyer. Agents had told Charles what happened, so when he went to talk to his friend, he found him there, shoulders shaking with his sobs and his head in this hands.

Rather than saying anything, Darcy's best friend merely sat in the chair next to him and waited for his friend to get control of himself.

Finally, Darcy was able to get at least a little bit of control, and he looked up at his friend.

"She just left. She said this was my fault. And she's right."

"William Darcy, none of this is your fault. None of it," Bingley said forcefully. "You could have never known that Wickham would retaliate against you like this. He would have probably done something, regardless of the position you were in and she knows that. She was probably just so overcome by all of it that she said some things that she didn't mean."

William sighed, agreeing to disagree. "Now she's gone somewhere unprotected, and I don't have the slightest clue where she could be."

"Why don't you call her?"

Darcy wanted to hit himself for overlooking such a simple solution. He drew his cell phone from his pocket and pressed the speed dial. The phone rang and rang, eventually going to voicemail. He clicked the 'end' button and scowled at nothing in particular.

"She mentioned going to her parents, but we both know that's the last place she'd want to be right now. If Jane were in town, I would've said she would go to your house, but I have no clue where she'd be right now."

"Maybe something in your room will tell us? And I'll have Cantor put out a BOLO for your car."

William nodded before rushing up the stairs to his bedroom with Charles on his heels. First he searched her nightstand and dresser, but when he found nothing there he moved to her vanity. He knew that's where she put a lot of her knickknacks, so he began rummaging through her drawers. The first thing he came upon was her cell phone in the top drawer.

"Dang you, Elizabeth," he cursed under his breath. It infuriated him that she would be so careless in such a dangerous time.

He sifted through drawers of lipstick and hair products, finding nothing until he got to the bottom drawer. He opened it to find a letter on top. Normally, he would have set it aside, but the way her name was pasted on there filled him with a sense of foreboding. He gave Charles an anxious look before ripping it open. He quickly scanned through the page before throwing open the bedroom door and yelling, "Madren! Get the car NOW!"

"Darcy, what is it?" called Bingley as he chased him down the stairs.

"Elizabeth has gone to them," he said curtly.

Charles stopped dead in his tracks. "What?"

"I'll explain it in the car. Madren, we're leaving _now_. Bring more agents, we're going to the mall."

"The mall?" asked Madren, surprised.

"Yes. Mrs. Reynolds," he called as he ran out the door, "I need you to take care of Michael, and make sure there is an agent with you at all times."

Mrs. Reynolds nodded, and watched her boss hop into a car and speed toward town.

In the meantime, Elizabeth was trying to remain calm as she made her way to what she figured would be her and her unborn baby's death. The ten minute drive to the mall seemed unending, but at the same time she was at the mall much too soon. She was getting out of the car when she heard a ringing. She searched the car and found a cell phone in the glove box. With shaking hands, she flipped it open.

"Hello?" she answered quietly.

"Mrs. Darcy, you've made it. Does anybody know where you went?"

"I don't think so."

"Good. Now, I need you to walk to the Macy's loading dock."

"What do I do when I get there?" she asked, her voice quivering slightly.

"Just wait." answered the caller before he hung up.

Elizabeth pulled a receipt from her wallet and wrote a quick note in uneven handwriting,

"_It's not your fault. I love you_."

She put it on top of her purse before taking a deep breath and climbing from the car. She walked slowly towards the rendezvous point, praying fervently with every step that her son would be there. When she got there, however, it was silent and abandoned. She walked around nervously, trying to figure out what was going on, when someone grabbed her from behind and threw a hood over her head. Instinctively, she fought, but something was injected into her that paralyzed her. She fell limp and was carried a ways before they roughly threw her into what she could only assume was a van. They were closing the doors when she thought she heard someone shout her name.

"Elizabeth!" cried William as he saw the men throw her into the back of a black van. The group had separated, trying to cover the entire mall with their small force, but didn't have the foresight of dealing with people in a car. He followed them as quickly as he could on foot, but lost them quickly.

He called Madren, who had led a team into the mall, and quickly updated him.

"Two men-" he gasped, "threw her into-a black van-" then he spouted off the license plate number. "Have the police stop them."

"Sir, one of my men is calling highway patrol right now, but don't get your hopes up," answered Madren. "They'll more than likely switch cars, but either way, I'm going to have the patrol follow them rather than apprehend them if they're spotted."

"No!" shouted the emotionally compromised man. "You have to save her!"

"Senator, we need to find out where they're keeping your son. We have to assume they're taking her to the same place."

Darcy sighed as he realized the truth of the matter. "I understand. Do you have any idea where they could be taking them?"

"We have a few ideas, but I don't want you to get your hopes up. We'll do everything we can to find them, but sir, you have to understand that we have very few clues to go on. We'll search the car and see if we can find anything that will help us."

William nodded numbly, the other man's hopelessness not really registering yet.

"Will," called Charles, "while these men are doing their job, you have a press conference in thirty minutes. I can do it if you'd like. The public would understand."

"No. I need to do _something._"

"Okay. Let's go then."

"Sir!" called one of the agents, motioning Darcy over to the car, "We have something you'll want to see."

Darcy sprinted over and took the piece of paper that was being handed to him. He read over it once and slammed his hand against the car before covering his face with his other hand.

"Will? What's wrong?" Charles panicked at the sight of his friend's overwhelming emotions and expected news of the worst kind. He took the short note from Elizabeth out of William's hands and read it, realizing that the two sentences were the proverbial straws that broke the camel's back.

"What if I never see her again?" he whispered, "I need her."

Charles ignored his own tears and helped his friend up off the ground.

"We'll find her, Will. We'll find both her and Bennett."

Charles drove an exhausted Darcy back to Pemberley and the first thing his friend did was check on Michael. To his relief, he found the baby playing with Mrs. Reynolds in the living room and two guards standing watch. Once William was satisfied of his youngest son's safety, Charles was able to convince him to at least put on a fresh shirt before going outside. After William had changed from his rumpled button-down from the night before and into a red polo, he met Charles in the foyer. Charles could tell how much he was struggling with his emotions, mainly because he saw the mask that William only put up when he didn't want others to know how he felt. Charles sent up yet another prayer for his brother-in-law's family, before leading the way outside where they were met with dozens of reporters flashing their cameras and holding their microphones out.

William immediately stepped up to the top step to address the crowd. He could see the shock on their faces at his disarray. Despite the clean shirt, William had two days' hair growth on his face and his eyes were bloodshot with dark circles underneath. He looked as if he'd aged ten years in mere hours. The crowd saw the normally well put together politician and immediately fell silent.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, as you very well know, today has been a terrible day for me and my family." He cleared his throat, trying to maintain a steady voice despite his tumultuous emotions. "Last night, around eleven o'clock, my son Bennett was kidnapped from our home," the crowd gasped, but he continued, "The men attempted to take my wife too, but were unsuccessful that time. Within the last hour, however, they managed to take her as well by threatening the lives of our children." He had to stop at this point, unable to continue. The hearts of every reporter there broke for the broken man in front of them. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a few deep breaths before resuming his speech. "It appears to be the work of a group called the AntiCapitalists. The FBI and Secret Service have been working vigilantly to find these men, as well as my family. They have demanded twenty-million dollars in return for sending my son back safely. The money is being retrieved as we speak, but law enforcement agencies are working all over the state to find my wife and child. That is all we know at this time. We request that you please respect our privacy and allow the agents to do their job. And please keep our family in your prayers." With that, he stalked back into the house, leaving Charles to deal with the remaining questions and comments.

**Please tell me all of your thoughts! They're such motivation to continue with my story.**


	12. Chapter 12

Elizabeth was terrified. Whatever they had injected her with made her unable to move a muscle, so she lay in a heap in the back of a van. The hood was still over her head, so she couldn't see her attackers, but she could hear them. She could hear them and feel them when they touched her. Her eyes leaked tears and she wanted to squirm every time they ran a hand up her leg, but she couldn't fight back.

"Let's just take her now," said one of the men as he ran a finger down her arm.

"You'll have your turn," said another one, "after Boss is done with her. He said we could all have a turn."

"Why does he always get first dibs?" whined the first man. "It's not like he'd know."

"Because he's the one in charge, I guess. But he'd know, I can promise you that. Besides, it's not like she can move now anyway."

The other man merely grunted, and for the first time, Elizabeth was glad to be paralyzed. They drove for what seemed like hours, but only twenty minutes later she was thrown into the trunk of a sedan. Soon, Elizabeth became of aware of the car stopping. She heard the trunk open and felt one of the men pick her up and carry her somewhere. Her head was still covered with the hood, or else she would have seen a dilapidated house out in the country. She was taken up some stairs and into a bedroom. Once they had reached the room, the men got rough.

The threw her on the bed and tore off her clothes, leaving only her undergarments. Elizabeth wanted to cry, but she refused and fought back doing the only thing she could physically do-glaring. She could feel the drug wearing off when they chained her hands and feet to the bed. The second she heard her son crying, however, she fought the drug and cried out.

"Bennett!" she screamed. "Bennett!" The men stuck a gag in her mouth when she saw George Wickham walk in, dragging her son.

"Mommy!" Bennett cried, "Mommy! Uncle George hurt me! Mommy, what's wrong?" He paused, seeing the situation his mom was in.

Elizabeth squirmed, fighting her restraints in an effort to get free, but was largely unsuccessful.

"As promised, Elizabeth, I will let Bennett free," began Wickham, "You won't have to worry about your precious darling anymore." Elizabeth cringed as he ran a finger up the inside of her leg. "You'll only have to worry about yourself."

He turned around and turned on a videocamera on the wall opposite her bed before walking out and taking a wailing Bennett with him.

Charles felt helpless watching William in his study. The man was in agony. He would pace back and forth, muttering under his breath, and then sit, falling into the chair as if he had no energy left. His head would fall into his hands and Charles could see his jaw jerking in an effort to stay in control of his emotions. Charles didn't know what to do. He wanted to call Jane, but couldn't bear giving her no news. Nonetheless, he knew she would be a basket case and he was dialing her number when the office phone rang.

Darcy essentially leapt from one end of the room to his desk in an effort to reach the phone.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hello, Darcy," a man breathed on the other end.

"Wickham."

"Wickham?" asked Charles, who immediately called in agents to trace the call.

"What do you want?" growled Darcy.

"I just thought I'd let you know that I have something for you to pick up. Go to the private airfield you normally use. I'm also supposed to remind you about the money. Thirty million or you'll lose Elizabeth."

"I thought it was twenty."

"Now it's thirty because your wife is more valuable. Thirty or she dies. You will see her again, though."

"I'll see her again?" asked a seething William.

"Count on it." And with that, Wickham hung up the phone, keeping the FBI from tracing him. Everyone was in a flurry.

"Get a team together!" shouted Madren. "We're going to the airfield."

"What if it's a trap?" asked one of the agents.

"It's my son. It's my son and I am coming with you," Darcy declared.

"Sir, I don't think-"

"This is nonnegotiable." Madren shrugged in acceptance and the group sprinted out to the waiting vehicles, putting on bullet proof vests and grabbing guns on the way.

Forty-five long minutes later, the SUVs slammed to a stop at the airfield and men piled out, separating into different units. They started searching in the hangars before moving to the surrounding areas. They didn't know what exactly to expect, so the agents were extremely cautious and made sure that William was always surrounded.

William was extremely tense, terrified of the unknown and his heart sank with every minute they went without finding Bennett. He didn't know if his son was actually there and he didn't know if he would find him alive. He had no idea where his wife was or if he'd ever get to see her again and he had no idea what the future held for him and his family. His veins were coursing with adrenaline as he followed the agents in the search for his son.

He was on one side of a hanger with a group when he heard a shout from the other side. He and Charles sprinted around to find a group surrounding a white van. William pushed his way through the small crowd and looked into the frightened eyes of his son.

"Bennett," he choked, reaching in to grab him. Bennett had tears running down his face and grabbed on to William's neck.

"Oh, thank God," breathed Charles.

"You're safe, Ben. You're safe. I've got you. Daddy's got you," he repeated continually, trying to calm both his hysterical son and himself.

"Daddy," cried Bennett, "Uncle George was mean to me. And they hurt Mommy too."

William carried him back to the waiting vehicles, his own tears making tracks down his face. Everyone was talking to him at once, but he didn't hear a word. He was too consumed with the relief of having his son back. He couldn't believe that he was in his arms and kept kissing his hair and his face, relishing the feeling, and Bennett wouldn't let go of his neck for even a second.

"Will!" Charles was finally able to get through to him. "We need to take Ben to the hospital and have him checked out. Madren called an ambulance."

"No."

"No? What do you mean 'no'? Something could have been done to him that we don't know about. He needs to have a checkup at the very least."

"I am not leaving him. Call Dr. Groves and he can come to the house to check up on him," he pulled away and looked at Bennett, "Ben, we're going to get you home now, okay?"

Bennett nodded and tightened his grasp on his dad. They got into the car and made their way back to Pemberley. They weren't in as much of a hurry as they were on the way there, so the trip was about an hour long- an hour in which Will could only look at his son and pray. He thanked the Lord for returning him and he begged the Lord to not take his mother away from him so soon.

Bennett had been sobbing throughout the car ride, and about fifteen minutes before their arrival he fell asleep in his father's arms. William cradled him close and didn't take his eyes from him for even one second.

"I don't know that he slept at all last night," whispered Will, his eyes never leaving his son's face, "I'm sure he's exhausted."

"Do you think this is the right thing?" asked Charles abruptly.

"What?"

"Continuing your campaign after all the trauma your family has gone through-that it continues to go through."

"I don't want to," he admitted

"Then why not announce your withdrawal? I'm sure someone else from the party can step in."

"Because it doesn't have anything to do with my campaign. Not really. Wickham just wants to hurt me as much as possible. My family has been put through hell today, and it's not over. Elizabeth is God knows where and I can't even imagine the damage that has been done to Bennett emotionally, however, there has to be a reason behind it. They can't have gone through this to prove that their dad and husband is a quitter. It's got to all be worth something."

"Then let me ask you this," his friend began, "Is it worth your wife and your children living a life of fear? Is it worth them having to live out the rest of their long lives worried about an assassination attempt on you or another kidnapping? Because that will always be a possibility if you become President, Will. Even after you're out of office, there is always the chance that someone will want you dead-that they'll want you and your family to pay for some wrong they think you've done them. Are you prepared for that?"

"So you're telling me that I shouldn't continue. That I should just give up everything that I've dreamed of, everything we have worked so hard for. Everything that my wife and my son have suffered for." William was angry, but the anger wasn't directed at Charles. Rather, it was directed at himself for allowing this to happen in the first place. It was his job to protect them. That was his role and he had promised Elizabeth that he would love her and cherish her and protect her and that meant nothing now. He was angry that his childhood friend hated him so much that he wanted to hurt him in any way possible. Money was no object, but he didn't even know if it would help Elizabeth. He knew enough about such things to know that even if the ransom was paid and the demands were met, chances were almost nil that the victim would be returned to their family. "Do I let them win?"

"I don't know, Will," admitted Charles, "but I do know that you have a lot to think about."

"Oh, trust me, I have been," grumbled Will.

**So we're still a aways away from the conclusion, but I need your opinions on something: should Darcy continue on his journey to becoming the President of the United States, or should he give it up and return to being a lawyer? Let me know!**


	13. Chapter 13

When they reached Pemberley, Will slowly got out of the car in an effort to not wake his son. The entourage moved toward the house but were impeded by the media that hadn't left yet. Finally, Darcy had enough.

**First of all, I want to apologize for the delay. I was busy with tests and final papers, then, as many of you know, Oklahoma has had a pretty rough week with the tornadoes and all. This hasn't exactly been at the top of my priorities, but I'll do my best to get better at posting! Second of all, many thanks to those of you who take the time to review my stories. They always make me want to write more. I apologize for the brevity of the chapter, but hopefully the next one will be longer. Enjoy! **

"Charles, get them off my property."

"But Will, that will make them furious and it could be detrimental to your campaign," he almost whined.

"Not if you do it right. Besides, it might not matter either way," murmured Darcy as he made his way into the house.

He quickly walked past the multitude of agents that had set up camp in his living room and made his way up the stairs toward Bennett's bedroom where Mrs. Reynolds was waiting with Dr. Groves.

"Bennett, Buddy, I need you to wake up," he whispered gently to the young boy sleeping in his arms. "Dr. Groves has to take a look at you."

"Daddy?" he asked, confused, as he was laid down on his bed.

"Hi, Buddy. I'm so glad you're home. Dr. Groves is going to ask you some questions, okay?"

"Do I have to get a shot?" asked the innocent boy, his eyes opened wide.

Dr. Groves chuckled slightly. "Not this time. I just want to make sure you're okay. Can you tell us what you remember, Bennett? What happened when the bad men took you?" As Bennett was talking, he took his pulse and blood pressure.

The four year old thought hard. "I was trying to go to sleep and a big man picked me up and pressed something against my face."

"What did it smell like?" the doctor asked.

"Umm candy," Bennet finally decided.

"Chloroform," stated Dr. Groves, a look of disgust on his face. He began checking the boy's breathing.

Darcy squatted next to his son to get on his eye level and put his hands on the boy's knees. "What happened when you woke up?"

The little boy was shaking now from fear.

"It's okay, Ben. The bad men can't hurt you anymore," William whispered, his fury barely in check.

"I woke up in a bed and my throat hurt. There was a really nice girl in there to take care of me. She helped me brush my teeth and gave me a drink of water."

"What else, Ben?"

The four year old squirmed underneath the cold stethoscope that the doctor was holding to his chest.

"Uncle George came and got me."

"Uncle George?" William had known all along that his brother-in-law was the responsible party but it was still shocking to hear it spoken aloud.

Bennett nodded. "He pulled me out of bed and tied me to a chair. It hurt, Daddy. He hurt my arm."

Dr. Groves glanced up at the father, and noticed his control slipping.

"Mr. Darcy," he muttered, warning the younger man to keep his cool. Then he turned to the boy. "Ben, do you remember anything else."

"He took me to see Mommy but he wouldn't let me go to her and I started crying. Daddy, she was tied to the bed and didn't have clothes on. She tried to talk to me, but they stuck something in her mouth and I couldn't understand her. Then he pulled me out and threw me down and I hit my head. I think that's all I remember."

Darcy's vision started getting hazy, but he was once again able to yield to his self control as Dr. Groves checked Bennett for a concussion. Finally, the older man sat back.

"Well, Bennett, you're good and healthy. Now it's time for you to get some sleep. Mrs. Reynolds, can you help him while I talk to Mr. Darcy outside?" The housekeeper nodded and the two men stepped out into the hallway.

"Mr. Darcy, your son seems to be fine physically. I can find no problems other than a few bruises on his arms and a bump on his head."

"What about emotionally? How will this affect him?"

"Of course, we will need to have a child psychologist come and evaluate him, but I don't think there should be any lasting effects. He's a strong boy, Mr. Darcy, with a young mind that will soon only think of this as an adventure."

Darcy exhaled, relaxing at the only good news he had gotten that day. "Thank you Dr. Groves."

"You're welcome. Please don't hesitate to call me if something comes up."

Darcy nodded and allowed Mrs. Reynolds to escort the doctor out while he went and checked on his son. Despite the brightness of daylight, Bennett had already fallen into a deep sleep. It was just the two of them in the room, so Darcy allowed himself to let his guard down. As he looked upon the sleeping form of his son, he was overcome with grief and joy. Grief at what had already happened to his son and what could happen to his wife, and joy over the rescue and health of his son.

"Bennett, I'm so, so sorry," he whispered. "It'll never happen again." He watched the boy for a few more minutes before doing the same thing with his younger son. He was watching Michael play when a white faced Charles knocked on the door.

"Will, there's something you need to see."

William's stomach dropped as he took in the shocked look on his friend's face. He bent over and put his hands on his knees, feeling as if yet another brick had been added to the overwhelming load he was carrying. Nevermind the fact that he had no idea what the newest brick was.

"Charles, I can't take it. It's too much."

Charles walked over to his brother-in-law and pulled him upright. "Will, I am sorry. I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through. But you don't have a choice. You are responsible for protecting the family that you love more than life itself and you have to do everything you can to get Elizabeth back. You have to dig deep and find that strength somewhere because she's counting on you. Giving up isn't an option. Especially now."

William peered into the other man's face. "Especially now?"

Charles nodded. "Follow me."

**Oh no! What happens now? Let me know what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Soooo... I'm sorry. I know it's been ages since I've posted, but if it's any consolation I've been working at a summer camp for the last two months and didn't have my computer until recently. I was going to wait until I got home in August, but felt really bad about making you wait. So here you go!**

Darcy and Bingley strode quickly to Will's office where he saw a group of men surrounding the TV mounted on the wall.

"What's going on?"

The agents turned when they heard him and moved aside but not one looked him in the eyes.

"What are you looking-" William's words died when he saw the picture that was projected onto the screen. "Oh, God. Oh, dear God, please no," he begged.

The TV was displaying Elizabeth, dressed only in her undergarments, tied up and gagged on a bed. William could only stare at his wife in horror, the realization of what was about to happen becoming quite clear.

"Is this live? How did this get on here?" Charles asked.

"It turned on by itself. We have our technical analysts working on it, but we're almost positive that it's a live feed."

"Get out." Everyone turned and looked at Darcy, his posture rigid and his eyes closed. "Everyone. Out."

"But Senator-"

"No, Agent Madren. I want everyone out of this room." Despite the situation, he was not going to allow all of these men to see his wife in this situation.

"Will," Bingley said in a soothing tone, "these men are professionals. It will be fine. They need to watch and look for anything that you or I will miss. Modesty cannot be an issue right now."

Darcy glared at him, but exhaled. "Fine."

Their attention turned back to the TV where a man was entering the bare room. The man walked toward the camera and looked into it directly. "Hello, William," he whispered so Elizabeth couldn't hear, "You're in for a good show."

Darcy nearly roared with rage.

Wickham turned and walked toward Elizabeth whose eyes were narrow in indignation. "Hello, dearest sister-in-law. How's the family? I haven't had the opportunity to see the husband in quite awhile."

Elizabeth squirmed and was itching to lash out at him but the gag impaired her speech.

"Ah, how rude of me. I apologize. I guess you can't talk with that in your mouth," he moved to untie he gag.

"How dare you!" she screeched, "You low-life, filthy, little son of a-"

"Now, Elizabeth, you wouldn't want your children to hear you speaking like that," he clicked his tongue.

"Well, then it's a good thing they're not here right now and I can say whatever the hell I want. I can't believe you, you-"

"Elizabeth, if you don't start talking nicely, I'm going to have to replace the gag. You don't want that, now do you?"

Elizabeth pressed her lips tightly together, but maintained her glower until Wickham ran a finger down her arm. Darcy could see her shudder at his touch.

"You sure are a beauty, Dear Elizabeth," he observed, "I can't wait to enjoy you. Especially with your husband watching."

"What?" She questioned, her face paling visibly.

"Your no-good husband is watching us right this minute, from that camera. It's not fair that he shouldn't get to enjoy the experience, is it?"

"No, please no. William! Please help me! Oh, God, please. William leave! Don't watch. Don't do this-" her shrieks were cut off by a stinging slap to the face.

Darcy paced as he ran his fingers through his hair. He returned to his spot in front of the TV quickly though to see what was going to happen.

"You see, Elizabeth, I'm not going to touch you in the way you long to be touched. I am married after all," he smirked at that, "No, I am going to hurt you the way your husband hurt me so long ago. And he is going to watch. And if I know him at all, he will be in pure agony."

Darcy was getting impatient. "Where are they? Haven't your people found anything yet?" He yelled.

"Not yet, Sir. We're getting closer to tracing the video signal," answered one of the men.

"What happened that you're so upset about?" Elizabeth asked quietly in an effort to buy more time.

"When we were at Oxford together, your husband was too stuck up and such a goody two shoes. It was ridiculous! He had no idea how to have any fun. One time he found me making out with his girlfriend at the time-is that jealousy I see, Mrs. Darcy? Well, no matter, she's married to an actor now. William flipped out and brought Charles and Richard with him and he waylaid me. Broke my jaw and my wrist. Knocked me out cold and gave me a concussion. When they released me from the hospital I found out that I had lost my million dollar inheritance from Mr. Darcy. And it's all your husband's fault." Wickham was losing his temper quickly and Elizabeth was beginning to fear for her life. She decided she had to keep him talking and then maybe he would calm down.

"That can't be all there is to the story, George."

"Oh, no. We're completing the story now," he sneered. Then he turned and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows in preparation.

"What is he going to do, Charles?" asked a panicked Darcy, "What is he about to do?"

He got his answer moments later when Wickham took a swing at Elizabeth and knocked her square in the jaw. Elizabeth cried out in pain and tears welled up in her eyes.

"George, why-" she began but her question was cut off by a sharp intake of air due to a blow to her right eye. Punch after punch fell upon her face and at one point his ring caught her skin and left a trail of blood.

Charles couldn't watch the screen, it was too horrible, so instead he turned his attention to his brother-in-law. He had never seen Darcy so furious. His eyes were pitch black and a vein was popping out of his forehead, despite the pallor of his skin. His nostrils were flaring and his fists were clenched by his sides. That is, until Elizabeth started pleading with Wickham to stop. Then Darcy whirled around and punched a hole in the wall.

"Damn it! That son of a bitch! He-and Elizabeth-and I can't do anything to stop it," he yelled with each blow that fell upon the wall. The Senator's control was completely gone and Charles was worried that he would harm himself if he didn't stop.

"Darcy. Stop it," he yelled as he tried to put a restraining arm around his friend's shoulders, "hurting yourself and demolishing the wall isn't going to help Elizabeth. Stop it!"

Darcy shot daggers at him, but turned his attention back to the television where Wickham was standing over a bruised and beaten Elizabeth who was trying to catch her breath. He couldn't even recognize his wife, her face was so swollen and bruised.

"Dearest Lizzy, I do hope you won't tell your sister about this. She'd be so angry and I'd be on the couch for a week," he joked. In return, Elizabeth merely spat in his face, earning her a murderous glare. "I was done, but if that's how it's going to be-" And he resumed the abuse, this time aiming the blows at her gut.

"Please," she gasped, "please, no. My baby! My baby!" she sobbed in between the punches.

At this, Darcy completely lost his fight and slid down the wall, his frame wracking with sobs. "Oh, Jesus, please. The baby. Please save them!" He begged and begged, and finally Wickham stopped.

"Hopefully that will teach you and your husband a lovely lesson of what happens when you mess with George Wickham. And now, for some real fun." A lecherous grin spread across his face and Elizabeth whimpered, but remained curled up in fetal position.

"Is he going to-" Charles couldn't finish his sentence, the thought was so horrifying.

"We found them!" yelled Madren as he rushed into the room, startling everyone in there. "Our technical analysts traced the signal to an abandoned house half an hour from here. Everybody in the cars. Now!" Every man jumped into action, including Darcy.

"Sorry, Senator, you're not coming with us this time." Agent Madren looked sternly on the distraught man who was rushing to put on a bullet proof vest.

"Of course I am," he snarled.

"No, Sir, you're not. You're too emotionally compromised and could put your wife in more danger. You will be staying here with Mr. Bingley."

"Are you crazy? I am going with you."

"No, sir, you're not." Agent Madren was not going to bend on this issue and when Darcy realized it he stalked off to the library yelling, "You'd better keep me updated!"

"Of course sir."

As the men were exiting the room, Charles turned the television off, not wanting his friend to have to see any more.

**Please don't hate me! And please review!**


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